Ranma meets Harry:Magic vs Martial Arts
by Shall-Iin
Summary: With Voldemort returned to life, it's time to take a new look at him. If Magic can't defeat him, what about other powerful Arts?
1. Section 1

Harry Potter/ Ranma X-Over

MAJOR EDITTING UNDERWAY ON ALL CHAPTERS.

I'm currently rereading and editting the chapters on the story. I'll be posting updated, corrected, and sometimes altered chapters up as they become ready. Hopefully, you reread them, as there are some changes that I'm hoping to add to improve or lengthen some of the weaker chapters.

Just read 5 of the HP books and thought I'd try my hand at a xover of it and Ranma.

Ranma and Akane are going to be teaching martial arts while learning magical arts. They come in as first year during the HP gang's fifth. I've read the fifth, but not before I started writing so I'll add some of it's plos to this as I go along. I liked having the Umbridge woman in so I put her in as well.

For the first time in all his remembered years, Albus Dumbledore was feeling less than eager to start the school year. He knew, even with no proof, that Voldemort and his Death Eaters had sent their children here in order to divert suspicion while they raided the countryside, gaining allies and slaughter enemies. From his seat at the head table he could make out the Malfoy boy and his cronies whispering to each other as the sorting hat performed it's solemn duty. The enrollment for the year was lower than he had expected, but higher than he had feared. Parents the world over had been advised of Voldemort's return and some had felt fearful of sending their children to what would surely be one of the first places Voldemort would wish to attack.

But even with these ready made spies in place, Dumbledore had a few tricks up his sleeve. Some of which were scheduled to arrive sometime during the feast. At the thought of the coming arrivals, Dumbledore chuckled and turned to face the Gryffindor table. He easily picked up the main group at the table as they were sitting in the middle this year. Harry Potter, the son of his dear friend James, sat at the center of the long table this year, a place of honor usually reserved for the prefect or head boy. But what with events of last year and the revival of the Triwizard Tournament, the honor belonged to Harry.

Harry was flanked on his right by Ron Weasley, another in a long line of Weasley's. While not the wealthiest or most powerful of wizarding families, the Weasley's were loyal and true. Once they befriended you, they were friends for life. They were also one of the more prolific families, this generation of Weasley's numbering nearly thirty compared to the last of only nine. Harry had been treated as a member of the family ever since first meeting the Weasley's at King's Cross station.

On Harry's left sat Hermione Granger. Born to a Muggle family, Hermione was one of the most promising students in many years. Her mind soaked up knowledge like a sponge. She had a great deal of potential. She too was loyal and steadfast in the face of danger. She had lent her skills in study and witchcraft to aid Harry and Ron in their endeavours. She was the voice of reason to Ron's rashness and Harry's courage.

As the sorting hat assigned the last of the first years to Hufflepuff, a roar sounded through the air. It was a sound that had recently been burned into the minds of all the returning students. He could see them starting to glance around nervously and tapped his goblet in order to get their attention. He need not even glance to know that Hagrid had already gone to retrieve their guests. He stood and waited until all the students were looking at him.

"Before we tuck into the feast, I would like to say a few words." Now that he had their attention, he gathered his words. "As you might have heard, Voldemort has been revived. While no one from the Ministry or any of the school's know his wereabouts, we are all preparing for his attacks. As such I have taken the liberty to invite some very special people to Hogwarts for this year. They will be attending several classes with the first and second years, and will also be teaching you some means of survival as a precaution.

"Now, as you know, no student has ever had a position as a teacher at Hogwarts while still attending the school. As such, we have had to make some slight alterations regarding our guests. They are not professors and you are not to refer to them as such. They have little magical abilities but have much experience with magic. I have been informed that they will respond to the title of Sensei. This is a Japanesse word that can translate as teacher." An excited buzz traveled along the tables as the idea of meeting people from so far away entered the minds of the students. Most had never met anyone from beyond the borders of the United Kingdoms.

"They have travelled a long way and others have even further to travel before they arrive. Each house shall have its own Sensei or Sensei's. As with the first years, the sorting hat shall assign each to the house that most suits them." Dumbledore paused to allow the students to think this through. "Furhermore, unlike in past years, this year will not see all the houses mixed during all lessons except those provided with small numbers of each house. Each house will be paired with another for each lesson. For instance, Slytherin and Gryffindor will be taught DADA together in each grade, as will Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. The exeptions are where there are less then the required numbers for those classes for 6th and 7th year. For those of you with an interest, the Quidditch season will run as usual, although the Sensei are illeligible to join the teams."

"We have been honored to acquire the services of a former Auror as our new Defense against the Dark Arts instructor. May I introduce Professor Sirius Black, formerly of Azkhaban prison." Dumbledore looked over the familiar form of Sirius Black. His appearance startled more than one student, who's hands reached for their wands before freezing, not wishing to draw the attention of the only man to ever escape from the Azkhaban prison. His dark eyes roamed over the silent crowd, his face a mask of disdain. The silence didn't last as three stood and started cheering from the Gryffindor table. Black's eyes made contact with those of Harry's and he smiled. The other students made a token effort at joining Harry and Ron and Hermione, but it was a muted assembly that awaited the new teacher's words.

"Greetings students of Hogwarts. I see a few of you know who I am. Good. I hate wasting my time and your time is better spent dealing with the dangers that you will face in the coming years. I want you all to be warned now: Unlike your previous teachers, I will not molly-coddle you. I will not be bringing weaker creatures into the classroom for you to exam. I have spoken with Dumbledore and the others and they have agreed that the time has come for you to see some truly evil and dangerous Dark Arts. For those of you in the 4th to 7th years, we will rarely be holding classes in the classroom. Our class shall be held mainly within the Forest. For the 1st to 3rd year students, Professor Snape shall be honing your defenses to a level needed to survive the Forest." Saying nothing more, but winking at his godson, Sirius Black, the man once accused and convicted of betraying Lily and James Potter took his seat next to Severus Snape, who scowled deeply and shifted away from the man who used to pick on him during their school days.

As he sat, a great booming sounded as the great doors swung open. All heads turned to face the entrance, which was filled with the immense form of Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys, Gameskeeper and teacher of Care of Magical Creatures. His gigantic form made the double doors seem tiny as he strode into the room.

"hallo all. Jus' been to meet ter new fella's from over in ter Japan. Nice enough couple, don' speak English too well. But tat's easy nough to fix, I reckon." His huge body blocked all sight of the awaited guests. Hagrid scanned the Gryffindor table, easily spotted his friends. "how ya der, Harry? You Ron? Good vacation, Hermione?" he asked his favorite students.

"Yes Hagrid, had a good vacation. Spent a lot of the summer over at Ron's." Harry answered. "Think Ron's gonna finally get his wish to be on the Quidditch team this year, since half the team's done with school."

"Right on ter Ron. Bring the cup back on to Gryffindor, aint' ya." Hagrid looked up at the head table. "Well I'll be darned. If it aint' Sirius Black up der at the head table. Well Sirius, you a teacher this year?"

Sirius nodded to one of the few people he still trusted. Hagrid had helped keep Harry safe that fateful night and Sirius would always be grateful for that.

Dumbledore coughed, attracting Hagrid's attention. "Hagrid, I think the pleasantries can wait a little. Why don't you come on up and take your seat so our guests can enter and we can get back to the feast."

Hagrid blushed and looked over his shoulder. "Sorry Professor." He stepped forward and walked up the aisle to take his seat at the end of the table. Trailing close behind him, hidden from view from those sitting forward of Hagrid's moving form, strode a tall Japanesse man and a shorter Japanesse woman.

The man was wearing a red silk sleeveless shirt and a pair of black pants that only a few of the students recognized. His dark black hair was tied back in a short pigtail and he bore blue armbands at his wrists. His sky blue eyes scanned the crowd, stopping occasionally on various students before moving on. To his left and a step or two behind, the girl smiled gently at the students staring at them. She was wearing a soft blue dress and her dark blue hair was cut short in a bob. As they reached the front of the room and standing on the lower step, they bowed to the teachers and waited. This gave everyone a chance to get a look at them and many were impressed by the sheer presence the two projected. Each seemed to radiate with an inner power that was only barely contained.

Professor McGonagal moved from her spot at the table and without saying a word the man stepped forward and sat on the stool. The sorting hat never even made it near his head before calling out "Gryffindor." The man stood and moved next to the girl, crossing his muscular arms on his chest. The girl too, had barely touched the stool before the hat cried out "Gryffindor." She walked over to the man and they clasped hands, instantly dashing the hearts and hopes of many of the students, both male and female.

Dumbledore spoke to them in rapidly in a language none of the students understood, but which logically, must be their native Japanesse. The two responded, the girl's voice high and light, while the man's was deeper and seemed reluctant. Dumbledore waved his hand and they stopped speaking.

"Is that better?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes." the man replied, his voice clearly marking his displeasure. "So what now?" he asked. Some of the students and staff bristled at his lack of respect for the old wizard, but Dumbledore was amused. The worse thing about living as long as he had and being in his position of authority, was that very few people thought of him as a man with a man's simple needs of friendship and respect.

He was respected for his skills at magic and for his wisdom, but few were the people who truly knew him as a person. In Ranma, as in Harry, he could see that while Ranma might not show the blind admiration so common in the young, neither was he being rude. Dumbledore knew more about Ranma Saotome than anyone suspected. Not even Happosai, who had requested that Ranma and his wife be sent to Hogwarts and who had helped in training Ranma knew Ranma as well as Dumbledore. Dumbledore suspected that only he and Akane knew the true core of Ranma Saotome and not the brass, slightly arrogant youth he showed to the world.

"Now, for the introductions. For those of you who are wondering, this young man is Ranma Saotome and next to him is his wife, Akane. They come from the island nation of Japan and are here to teach you martial arts. For those of you unfamiliar with the Muggle terms, martial arts are a form of combat, usually unarmed but that can include the use of weapons."

Draco Malfoy stood up. "What use is it for us to learn how to fight, Professor? Any true wizard," Draco paused and glared at Harry Potter, "would be able to defeat any enemy before the person knew they were in trouble."

Ranma glanced at Akane and turned to face Dumbledore, his question plain an his face. The ancient wizard debatted for a moment then nodded but he also gave a silent warning to the young man. Ranma grinned and winked, turning back to face the Slytherin table.

"You, what is your name?" he asked.

The blond youth stood, arrogance and pride dripping from every pore in his body. "I am Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy."

"I didn't ask who your father was I asked who you are, Draco." Ranma stated, his eyes narrowing in a glare. "And you asked what use martial arts are against magic? Come here and I'll show you."

Draco strode forward, pulling out his wand as he did so. "So it's to be a duel? My magic against your martials arts."

Ranma grinned. "Sounds good to me. I'll tell you what, I'll let you go first." Akane had moved away from Ranma, rolling her eyes at the childish display, but understanding the need for it. She spotted a pair of young men and a girl around her age motioning to her from the table under the Gryffindor banners and remembering how she had been assigned to that house, she walked the aisle to join them.

She took the empty seat across from the girl and smiled at them. "Hello, I'm Akane. Who are you?"

"I'm Hermione Granger." the girl answered. "The boy with the red hair is Ron Weasley, and this is Harry Potter."

Akane frowned. The way the girl said the name, she had the impression that she should know this Harry Potter. "It's nice to meet you all." she said. "How long have you been coming here?"

"Oh, this is our fifth year. We all met and became friends our first year. But surely, you've heard all about that? It was in the Daily Prophet and everything."

"What's the Daily Prophet?" Akane asked, she glanced up at Ranma and noticed that the other boy was saying something she couldn't hear. "Look, we'll talk later, okay? It's going to start now." They all turned to face the duel.

Ranma smirked as he studied the boy in front of him. His aura was almost nonexistence and his magical presence was below that of Ryoga who had almost no magical aptitude. Ranma took his usual, casual stance that looked like he was relaxing. "What's taking so long blondy? You do know that you need two chopsticks to eat, right?"

Malfoy felt his face flush. How dare this Mudblood insult him. "This is a wand, Mudblood. And it's used like this." Malfoy made a short snapping motion of his wrist, while crying out "Ignitio!" Malfoy felt his ego flare as the other made no move to protect himself from the sheet of fire. His hopes crashed as the flames parted a few feet from the man and passed around him to harmlessly strike the wall behind him. Malfoy didn't understand, he had used no magic or he would have felt it.

Ranma smirked as he sensed through the aura that his opponent was shocked and confused. He'd also tapped a source of power Ranma didn't fully comprehend. "Was that it? Why don't you try again?"

Malfoy ground his teeth together. "Ignitio! Ignitio! Ignitio!" he cried as he snapped his wand at Ranma. Sheets of flame, intense enough that those at the tables could feel the heat shot towards the motionless figure. The flames engulfed Ranma, and this time they did strike him. For nearly a minute the flames blasted him, and the wall behind him. Eventually the smoke cleared, showing a melted wall as proof of the intense heat but yet, there Ranma stood, not even smoking. The floor from Malfoy to the wall behind Ranma was charred black. The stool on which the sorting hat had rested was a pile of embers. Yet the stones where Ranma stood were untouched.

Malfoy was beginning to get nervous. His mind froze. The flame he had produce had been strong enough to melt the cobblestones between them and the wall behind Ranma, yet Ranma was unharmed. "Electrio! Electrio!" Lightning bolts shot from his wand and seemed to pass through his opponent. He kept up the chant, sending many bolts at the older boy.

Ranma smirked. He could see that the blond haired boy was getting desperate. He doubted if any of the students here could have survived the flames. Luckily, he had a few ways to beat it. He had gone with his favorite, the Soul of Ice. He hadn't even felt the flames as they parted before him. Then the boy had tried again, and the flames were much more intense. Ranma had dropped the soul of ice and used his newly aquired immunity to heat to absorb the flames that struck him, making him stronger and feeding a need he was learning to recognize.

The boy then tried to hit him with lighting bolts, which he simply dodged by moving from side to side, using his ki to cancel out the wind his movements would normally create due to his speed. He moved so quickly that no one but Akane could see it. To everyone else, even the professors, it seemed he was standing still and that the electrical blasts were passing straight through his chest to blast chunks of stone from the wall behind him.

The blond eventually tired and the bolts stopped coming. Ranma stood silently, watching as the boy gasped for breath, his face beaded with sweat.

"Is that it?" Ranma asked. "That's all your magic is capable of doing? Leaving soot on the floor and chipping a wall? How pathetic." Ranma turned his back on him and started moving away.

Malfoy fumed while watching the arrogant Muggle walking away. Without thinking, he raised his wand and pointed it at him. "Crucio!" he called the power for the forbiden spell.

Ranma smirked as he felt the spell battering at his barriers. The boy had finally cast something truly powerful. He ignored the gasps and whispers from all around him as he started walking toward the boy. He resumed his stance on the same patch of stone he had been standing on. The boy was still pointing the wand at him, gritting his teeth and trying to force the spell through his barriers. Ranma chuckled, infuriating his enemy even more. "I can almost feel that." he called to his opponent. He poured more ki into his shield and started pushing the spell back towards the blond. "Look Moldy, are you finished? You seem to be having some trouble with this spell."

"My name is MALFOY!" the youth shouted, putting all his remaining strength into the spell, sending it against Ranma. Sparks were now glancing off a barrier of some kind a foot or two from the older man.

With a small thought, Ranma pushed his ki out, sending the spell back at Malfoy. The rebounded spell struck Malfoy's wand, which snapped. There was a small explosion and Malfoy was thrown back off his feet to slide along the ground more than a dozen feet. He groaned in pain and sat up, slowly getting to his feet. "What type of magic is this? You were not supposed to use any magic." he whined to the professors. "I demand he be disqualified for cheating."

"Malfoy, if we disqualify Ranma, we will need to do so to you. You used an illegal spell from the Dark Arts." Sirius Black stated, his voice almost hissing the words. "Were would you have learned how to cast such a spell, Malfoy?" Draco shook and refused to answer. "No matter, the match isn't yet over. Please, continue."

Malfoy looked to Ranma, who place his hands before him and cracked his knucles. "I used no magic. I wouldn't know how. What I did was use a martial arts technique to shield myself. That's how I stopped that last spell and sent it back at you. That is part of what I shall be teaching."

"What about the flames? And the lighting?" asked a voice from one of the tables.

Ranma grinned. "The flames were the easiest. I used a technique called Soul of Ice. In layman's terms I basically froze myself and some of the air around me. The flames hit this area and parted around like they do when fire strikes something solid. The other attempt you made for the fire, well. That's a natural ability I have that I can't really teach anyone else. The lighting, I dodged. I can move faster than the human eye can see. That is what I offer to this school. How can a spell harm you, if you move so fast it can't hit you? How can an enemy incapacitate you with a null magic spell, when you can use your ki to do what you need. I can teach you to sense when an enemy is near and to feel how powerful they are so that you can take steps to protect yourself before they attack."

Murmurs ran through the crowd at his words. The idea that he could teach them to move faster that a spell and to build a shield of air around themselves to block any spell was startling. And he would teach them to do so without magic. So that even the weaker magical students would be on an even plane with the more powerful ones.

"Before we return to supper, there are two more things." Ranma studied them. "First, I will not only be teaching you how to defend yourself. I will also be teaching you how to attack." Ranma stood and a blue glow started to form around him. He held out one hand and a sphere of blue energy formed a few inches above his palm. "This is a ki sphere. It's fueled by your emotions. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the sphere." The glow around Ranma changed to red and the sphere quadruptled in size. "The emotion you use also dictates the color of the energy. Green for depression, blue for confidence, and red... Red is for love." He said while smiling at his new wife. He reabsorded the energy.

"But we'll get into that in the classes. The second thing you should know, is this." Ranma's form shrunk and his hair turned red. His chest swelled and his features softened. He performed the change slowly, as he had learned to do. "This is a type of magic, but it's not from myself. I was cursed at a place called Jhusenkyo. Now, for those I am teaching, I would like a report, just 2 or 3 pages, on the origins and history of Jhusenkyo. Oh yeah, that's for the Gryffindor people. I don't teach the rest of you. Your teachers are coming later."

"Thank you Ranma, and you may take your seat with Akane at the Gryffindor table." McGonagal said. "Let the feast recommence." She frowned as instead of walking to the indicated seat, Ranma leapt and spun in the air to land seated in the chair. A feat that drew more than a few gasps as Ranma had been standing at least a hundred feet from the chair and even the most naive of students could tell that the leap was as effortless for him as a hop was for them.

"Show off." Akane muttered while elbowing her husband. Ranma had changed while in the air, returning to his male form by the time he landed in his seat.

Ranma witheld his grin as Akane elbowed him when he sat. He smiled to the people across from them and kissed Akane's cheek. "Yup. And you love me for it."

Akane blushed and looked down at her plate. "Ranma, this is Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. They'll be in your classes."

"Hello. I'm Ranma. Where's the food?"

"er Ranma. . . Professor Dumbledore said that we were to call you Sensei since you'd be teaching us." stated Ron as the food appeared on the table. Ranma immediately started loading his plate, as did Akane.

"Just in the class." Ranma stating, popping a small potato into his mouth. He swallowed and grinned at them. "I don't really know any magic, but I'm looking forward to learning. You help me and Akane with magic, and we can give you extra lessons with our course."

"Hermione here is the real expert. The rest of us just bumble along as best we can." Harry stated, taking a bite of his chicken pot pie. "That was really amazing. Is that what you'll be teaching us?"

Ranma nodded, his mouth full of food. He swallowed in a lump that had the three friends wondering how he did it without choking. "Not really. We'll start with simple stuff like kata and positions first. Then, in a month or two, we'll see where everyone is and split the class into two. Akane will take the first class, and continue with the basics, while I'll take the second part and teach some more advanced stuff like the ki sphere and speed moves. Like I told Moldy, magic ain't worth nothing if the person you're casting the spell on is moving too fast for you to hit. It's one thing martial arts and magic have in common. You can be the strongest guy or most powerful wizard in the world, yet if you aren't fast enough to hit anyone, you'll never win a fight."

"That's where you guys are lucky. We know the other teachers who are coming. Each of them has their own strengths, yet as much as they hate to admit it, none of them is capable of beating Ranma, mainly because of how much faster then them Ranma is." Akane stated in a voice filled with pride. "I'm almost getting to be a match for him, though his girl side is still a lot faster than me. That's why I'll be teaching the basic course. Ranma's trained me to a point where I'm a match for most of the others, but I still have a way to go to reach his level."

"Who are these others who are coming?" Hermione asked while politely lowering her knife and fork. She threw a sharp glance at Ron, who was stuffing his face with a couple of sausages.

"I don't think we're supposed to mention them. I do know that some of them are supposed to arrive tomorrow. And that one of them could show up anytime between now and next year." Akane added while taking a small bite of the strange concoction before her. She had never had much appetite for western foods, but this pie like thing wasn't too bad.

"Is he coming from such a long way?" asked Ron, taking on interest in the conversation.

"Naw, just has a really bad sense of direction."

"It's not that bad Ranma. He may be a pig, but he's a decent enough guy."

"He once got lost for a week on the way to the bathroom."

"That's an exageration Ranma. It was only 2 days, not a week."

"That's a bad sense of direction, all right." agreed Ron. "Where'd he do this?"

Ranma snorted. "It was his own house!"

Harry chuckled while Hermione stiffled a laugh of her own. "So he could show up anytime?"

Ranma sighed. "Yup. Never can tell when the idiot is going to show. That's another thing about him. He has a temper and isn't too quick on the uptake. He's spent most of his life wandering around the world without anyone so he aint the most stable of guys. He hates me and will attack me at the slightest provocation, but that's alright. I need someone of his skill to spar against besides Akane. She's my wife and I don't like to hit her, but I can let loose a little with Ryoga."

"Only a little?" Harry asked.

Ranma nodded. "Ryoga's tuff, real tuff, but if I were to hit him with even half my strength, he'd be a grease spot." He studied the three in front of him closely, checking their auras. He was surprised at the goodness and gentleness he sensed in them. "Put it this way. You know what a bus is? Well, Ryoga once got hit by a bus headon. The bus folded around him like an accordion. Completely wrapped around him. Like this." Ranma picked up a potato. "This is the bus. This, " grabbed a chicken bone from a wing, " is Ryoga. This is what happened." The potato slammed into the bone and splattered around it. Ranma then scrapped the potato off the bone. "The bus flattened and Ryoga walked away, after prying himself loose, without a scratch. It annoyed him enough that he actually managed to chase the guy who threw the bus at him for four blocks before he got lost."

Harry was appaled. "Someone threw the bus at him? With people and everything?" Ron didn't really understand the muggle world as well he really should but did know about the Knight Bus, while Hermione was born of Muggle parents and Harry, who hadn't known about being a wizard until Hagrid knocked down the door at the lighthouse, did understand that this was a feat of some distinction.

Akane shook her head. "The bus was empty. The person who threw it knew it wouldn't do much to Ryoga, but Ryoga's a bit dense. The only way to really get his attention when he's brooding is to hit him with something or flash him."

"Flash him? I thought you didn't do magic?" Ron asked, thouroughly confused.

Akane giggled. "Not that kind of flash. Ryoga's a bastard and a pervert but he's also a bit shy. All you have to do is show him a little cleavage or a bit of your thigh and he passes out with a nosebleed. Or better yet, splash him with cold water and he turns into a pig."

Hermione was a little worried now. Someone that strong was sure to be trouble. If she hadn't been exposed to trolls and giants like Hagrid, she would never have believed it possible. "Will we have a class with him as well?"

"Nope. Like the old guy said, each house thingy gets it's own instructors and the hat will tell who goes with what house. Though by looking at everyone here, I can guess pretty accurately where the others will go. Oh, there are some who are coming who will be teaching some classes to everyone. I guess since we told you a bit about Ryoga, we can tell you a bit about the others."

Akane continued while Ranma reloaded his plate. "My oldest sister and her husband are also going to be here. They should get here at the end of the week. He's a doctor as well as a martial artist and they will be teaching classes on accupuncture and healing herbs. The others are some chinese martial artists from a tribe in China. There will be three of them. There's a girl our age name Xian Pu and a boy named Mu Tsu. The other is an elder of their tribe who has a great deal of knowledge in dealing with magical potions. I think she's taking over that class from one of the other professor's. Or they're teaching it together, but different groups. I think she's taking the younger students while the other professor continues with the older students. It's going that way since he's also teaching something else this year."

"So the elder is teaching Potions this year? But since we're in 5th year, we'll have Snape for Potions. Oh well, at least we'll have Sirius for Defense of the Dark Arts." Harry said, brightening by the end of the sentence. "Can you tell us about them? What are they like?"

"Well, Shampoo's (that's what we all call Xian Pu) a bit of an airhead. At least, she tends to act like one. And she's pretty. Has long purple hair and wears skimpy little outfits. But she's a powerful martial artist. She's almost as strong as Ryoga and nearly as fast as I am. But she's not too good at ki manipulation. She can use it to increase her speed and strength, but she can't use a ki sphere or blast. She's cursed too, but unlike me and Akane, she ain't got no control over it. So if she's after you, just splash her with cold water and she'll turn into a harmless little kitty. Mu Tsu is actually the more dangerous of the two. He's a master of Hidden Weapons. He's practically blind and is always attacking anything that gets his attention, thinking it's me. He carries around hundreds of weapons that he can pull out of his sleeves and he's a master in the use of all of them. He's cursed too. He turns into a duck."

"Always be careful of Ku Long. She's about 300 years old and only 2 feet tall, but she's one of the few people who I can let loose with close to my full power on. She's not as powerful as I am, but her skill makes up for it. She know thousands of ways to counter any move you can do and she's also a pretty good magic user. She can whip up all kinds of potions that her people have discovered in the last 3000 years. She's taken accupuncture and pressure points to a whole level even the most studied master has problems understanding. Don't let her touch you, if you can avoid it."

"Kasumi and Tofu are more concerned with healing than fighting. They have to finish the week at the clinic and make arrangements with Tofu's replacement. They are both master level in akido and judo. Tofu has the added bonus of pressure points and accupuncture nearly as dangerous as Ku Long's." Akane added. The food on the table changed from a dinner menu to dessert as the turkey, hams, and chicken were replaced by a variety of cakes, pies, and candies. Akane took a cherry tart and bit into it, savouring the taste.

Ranma again studied the three, making them shift in their seats. "I'll let you know something else. Like I said, I'll be teaching you how to feel a nearby threat, but there's more to it then just sensing someone who hates you. I'm sure you can do that right now. I can read auras. This lets me know a persons deepest feelings and tells me how strong they are. I don't know who they are, but that table with the snake banners, a lot of them are pretty bad people. They're hidding how strong they are, but they're thinking of things like magical scans, not auras."

Akane nodded. "As soon as Ranma sat here and started talking with you, a few of them had flares of so much hate, I'm surprised the table didn't catch on fire." She leaned forward. "The other tables are curious and there's a mild flavour of dismay. I think it's just that they don't have their own Sensei's here yet and are envious that you and Gryffindor get us instead of them. None of them are fond of that Malfoy guy and were please that Ranma made him seem like such a fool."

Ranma finished his fifth piece of strawberry chocolate cake and leaned back. "I'll tell you what. This is probably how it's going to go. The Amazon gang will end up with the snake banner people. They match up with their shiftyness and slyness. Tofu and Kasumi will go to the table there. I can sense that they're more laid back and are much less aggressive than the others here. That fits well with Tofu and Kasumi, who are more pacifistic. They'll teach them akido and judo, which rely on using an opponents strengths and attacks against them. Ryoga will go with that last group. There's some strong people there, brave and honest.

Same here, but since we are here, Ryoga will go with them. Ryoga will teach them mostly how to take as much as they can and return it five fold. That's what makes him so much fun. He's one of the most physically capable people I know. He's all about head on attack and being built to take anything his opponents can dish out. I'm stronger than him now, but that's a new thing. I usually rely on my speed and skill. As far as I know, on pure skill, only Ku Lon and Happosai can match me. Not even Haabu is as good as me, though he might be as powerful. Hell, he might be more powerful."

"So these Amazons will go to Slytherin, Tofu and Kasumi will be with Hufflepuff, and Ryoga will go to Ravenclaw." stated Hermione, reminding the newcomers of the names of the other houses. "And you're right. Hufflepuff's in general are more timid. They turn out more healers and diplomats than any other house. Ravenclaw's are usually assigned to the Ministry and turn out a great number of aurors and muggle relations ministers." Seeing the blank looks on their faces, Hermione sighed. "Aurors are like policemen. They have the task of searching out and apprehending Dark Wizards and rule breakers. And you're right. Slytherin's are the slyest and sneakiest of all. All of the truly evil Dark Wizards were in Slytherin."

"What about Gryffindor?" Akane asked.

"Well Gryffindor graduates usually go into the Ministry or continue to work with magical creatures, like Ron's brother Charlie. Gryffindor's are often the most well rounded wizards. We also have a high percentage of aurors."

"You have a brother, Ron? What's that like? I'm an only child and Akane has 2 older sisters." Ranma asked.

"It's horrible! I'm compared to them all the time. Why aren't you like Charlie, Ron? Are you as bright as Bill? Are you as much trouble as Fred and George?" Ron frowned and put down his apple dumpling. "It's even worse with all the cousins. I never get anything of my own. I always get my brothers old stuff. My wand and cloaks were used by my brothers. Even my owl is secondhand."

"That must be hard. It was sort of like that while I was growing up. Pop took me away on a training trip when I was four and we travelled around for ten years. we only had what we could carry and when I needed new clothes Pop would steal them off of clothes lines and out of bags being donated to charities." Ranma finished a 7th and last piece of cake before continuing. "We'd only stay in an area until people started getting suspicious of Pop and then we'd move on."

"That's horrible! Where was your mother while this was happening?" Hermione asked.

"Waiting for Pop to bring me back. Japan ain't like here and the west. There's still a lot families that live by the old ways. That's how we met. Our father's arranged our marriage before they even had kids. Then they sprung it on us out of the blue. It took a while and lot of danger before we could admit that we loved each other." Ranma stopped talking and squeezed Akane's hand. Akane returned the squeeze and gave a gentle smile to her husband.

"But you are married?" Ron asked.

"Yup. Only been a few months. I had to finish training Akane so she could pass the tests and so that Happosai would give me my licence." Noticing the blank looks, Ranma sighed. "In order to be able to teach others, you have to have a licence from an accredited school's master. In our case, the master of the school is Happosai. He's a shrunken old pervert, but he's a truly powerful martial artist. He's the one who wrote to Dumbledore and asked that we come here. It was only supposed to be me and Akane, since we were trying to get away from Ryoga and the other's who were always after us. But Dumbledore refused to take us unless Happy could convince enough people to come so that each house would have at least two Sensei."

"But there aren't going to be two at each if you're right." Harry stated. "If you're right about the way the hat will sort the others, then Ravenclaw will only have Ryoga, while Slitherin will have three."

Ranma shrugged and watched as the food disappeared. "Maybe someone else is going to come to help Ryoga out. He'll need help just to get to class. I can think of a few people who's styles would work with Ryoga's. Especially as Ravenclaw is supposed to take the wise and intelligent. Ryoga's a lot of things but no one ever accused him of being wise." Ranma scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Actually, Ryoga would fit with Gryffindor better than the others, but with me and Akane here, that leaves him to Ravenclaw."

It was Ron who first glanced up at the head table. "Look, Dumbledore is going to speak." The room stilled as that realization was made by each members at the tables.

Dumbledore smiled down at the students, taking in the questioning glances and happy faces of the 1st years who had never had the experience of a Hogwarts meal.

"There are just a few minor details I'd like to mention. These are for the first year's but some of you might wish to listen as well." Dumbledore looked pointedly at Draco's group and winked at Harry's. "Now. The forest is off limits to all students except in the presence of Professor Black's class or on assignment with Hagrid. Also, the new Sensei will have their own quarters separate from the houses, yet in the same tower and have the same power for punishment and point docking as the other teachers. 7th year's are to be advised that the graduation ceremony will be held a week after the last FOWL tests and that members of various branches of the Ministries and other industries will be stopping by to gauge your readiness for joining them."

"As I mentioned earlier, the Quidditch season will be played as usual this year with one exception. There will be two referees during each game instead of the usual one. This change has recently been preposed for the professional leagues and we at Hogwarts and other schools are being used to test the adjustment."

"That is all. Prefects, please take your houses to the towers. Teachers, we will meet in my office to finalize arrangments. Ranma, Akane. After you have familiarized yourself with your quarters, we will need you to join us to go over your class schedules and to verify that you have what you need for your students."

The students all stood and watched as the teachers filed out of the room through a door to the left of the head table. Then, the prefects for each house lead their charges out of the dinning room with the floating candles and night sky room. Ravenclaw left first, then Slytherin, Hufflepuff and finally Gryffindor. The house followed the new prefect, a 6th year student who had been named captain of the Quidditch team the previous year before the announcement for the Triwizard Tournament cancelled the season.

She was replacing Oliver Wood as captain and had a task to put together a team with so many of the players having left the last two years and not having had the chance to even train replacements for them. Angelina wondered if perhaps Ron Weasley would try the team. Considered the Weasley tradition for this generation, if he was half the player his four older brothers were, he'd be a solid player. Perhaps a keeper. And of course, Harry Potter was guaranteed to play Seeker. She'd have to talk to Professor McGonagal. Perhaps she'd have some suggestions. They desparately needed some more chasers.


	2. Section 2

Ranma woke slowly, still not used to waking with Akane in his arms. He smiled down to his wife, who was using his chest as a pillow. After being shown where they were staying, they had quickly followed one of the house ghosts to Dumbledore's office. The final arrangments had been made, with Ranma listing such supplies as cinderblocks and punching dummies while Akane mentioned the need for gi's to wear.

Madam Hootch stated the need for the house colors and Ranma and Akane handed her a design based on the gi's Akane used to wear and the old gym uniforms of shorts and Tshirts. The shirts for Gryffindor would be yellow with a red symbol and red shorts. Slytherin would have black and green, Hufflepuff's yellow and brown, and Ravenclaw's blue, black and silver. Ranma and Akane would be exempt from wearing robes, though Akane stated that they would wear appropriate clothing for all formal events. The exemption was a clause granted them as not being full students or full teachers.

Ranma cared little for the details. He simply was looking forward to learning a little magic and teaching a group of raw students. Students who had never had any training and who were at the peak of their abilities. Judging from what he had seen so far, he might be able to teach a few of these people to a level beyond what many outside his circle would admit existed. There were a lot of similarities between training for martial arts and training for magical arts. Since many of the students here had been learning magic for most their lives, they'd adapt quickly to some of the concepts of ki and aura manipulation. The most difficult part would come in getting them to learn the value of physical manipulation of their environment instead of magical means.

He trailed his index finger over his wife's face. It hurt sometimes; how much he loved her. She was so beautiful, inside and out. Before he met her, he had no home. She was the only home he had ever known and the only peace he had ever had. His life had been hard and lonely until the day his father brought him to meet the Tendo's.

He grinned to himself as she shivered and tightened her grip, nuzzling her cheek into his chest. He glanced at the portable clock they had brought with them, noting the time and deciding to just stay in bed with his wife. It wasn't often that they got to relax like this together. But today was special. It was their first day at Hogwart's and their first class was Charms with Professor Flitwick in about 3 hours. Breakfast started in an hour. A missed morning training session was no big deal at this time. So he cuddled with his wife, savouring the ability to hold her as he had wanted to for so long.

A half hour later, Akane started to slowly awaken in his arms. He watched as she blinked and turned her face up to him, a smile breaking out to match his own.

"Hey, sleep well?" Ranma asked softly.

"Very." Akane answered, glancing at the clock. "Already? I guess we're missing the morning training today."

"Yup. I figure with all the training we'll be doing, we can cut back on the morning sessions. Maybe only have three of them a week insead of everyday. We have a lot of catching up to do with the magic stuff, so I doubt we'd have the energy to do all our work and training. You're far enough along now that you don't need to train at the old schedule we had. I really only did that because of Pop. It's not that we don't need to train to keep up our skills, but at our current skill levels, too much training might be worse than not enough."

"So we'll only train three days?"

"Naw, we'll train every day, but only one session a day instead of mornings and nights. Three days a week in the morning, before class. Three days a week after class, but before supper. And on the other day, we rest. Just light kata workouts instead of sparring and stuff."

"So you've really thought this out? You're taking the magic lessons seriously?"

Ranma pecked Akane's nose. "Well, you did say you wanted me to have other interests besides martial arts. And with all the magic artifacts, potions, and ghosts that we run into, it's a good idea that we learn how to properly deal with them." Ranma placed his right palm on her belly. "We have to think about our kids."

Akane's eyes watered at the silent reminder of their vow. "I'm sorry we weren't able to keep our agreement. It was the one thing that kept me going during the training, knowing what we had promised each other when we finished." Her hand held Ranma's to her stomach. "But once we finish this year, we can go forward with it. And nothing will delay us more than that. Agreed?"

"Agreed." Ranma replied happily. He kissed Akane greedily, reminding them both of their activities of the previous nights. But time was marching on and before they got too involved, the alarm went off, reminding them to get ready for class. "It's a good thing we have our own ghost free bathroom. I'd hate to have to share with a few dozen other people." Ranma stated as they laughingly got out of bed and made their way to the washroom.

Akane smiled, hugging her naked husband to herself for comfort and to ward off the slight chill in the stone room. "Guy or girl today?" she asked.

"I guess we'll go girl today." Ranma stated with a fake sigh. Since the night in Tofu's clinic just over a year ago, Ranma had come to terms with his female side, as well as with his nekoken state. Akane's love had opened him up in ways he had never expected. Akane had, with his reluctant agreement even taken a dunking in Nannichuan water so that he could experience womanhood in all it's experiences. They had talked over his secret dreams with Ranko and Akane had seen this as the easiest and best way to allow Ranma to reach the fullness of life.

Ranma ruffled through the drawer, trying to find his most comfortable bra and panty set. Akane was already tying her robes in place, holding the wand and trying to find out how to keep it from sliding out of her sleeve. Ranma settled on his second best set and then pulled on his black kung fu pants and decided on the white silk shirt with the gold dragon winding around the left shoulder down the back to the right hip. It had shrunk a little and was a tight fit on his girl form. It was too small now for his male form, but it was one of his favorites, being a gift from Haabu for their wedding. The gold thread was actual gold, and the ties were silver, with jade buttons.

She grabbed the wand that was sitting on a little stand, yelping a bit as a spark shot into her hand. Looking at the stand more closely, she noted that there were two wands, the one he had lifted was a large black one that looked rough and the one still on the stand was white and smooth. She carefully placed the black wand on its stand and took up the white one, noting the change in the feeling immediately. She glanced over to the rack on the wall where their staffs and other weapons were stored. As Akane waited impatiently by the door, she made a final check to make sure the dangerous staffs were securely locked in place before joining Akane. They walked out of their room, hands drifting to clasp as they walked to the Gryffindor common room to join the other 1st year students with whom they would be studying.

Harry and Ron followed Hermione silently as she prattled on about the first class on their schedule. She had learned from her mistakes and was taking a normal course load this year, though she had had to drop a course after seeing that they had the martial arts class each day. Still, they'd have Sirius Black three days a week with Defense against the Dark Arts, McGonagal twice for advanced transfiguration and shapeshifting, the new Accupunture and Pressure Points for Healing Use with Sensei's Tofu and Kasumi twice a week, and the usual double Friday of Potions with Snape. Ron and Harry had decided to continue taking Astrology and Divination and had kept Magical Creatures with Hagrid and added the other Healing Herbs and Magic class that was offered. Hermione had dropped the Divination course, having had many problems with it's professor the previous year. She had elected to take the Arithmancy course again. It was the year of OWL testing so they knew that they'd have a right time of it and were not eager for the loads of homework they knew they'd be assigned.

With the change of mixing the older students as well as the younger, this meant that some of the classes would be combined with only one of the other houses instead of all people in a grade taught together. The healing herbs and accupuncture classes they had would be shared with the Hufflepuff house. The potions and defense against dark arts would be with Slytherin, which was bad. And for creatures and transfigurations would be joining Ravenclaw. Harry had talked Ron into trying out for the Quidditch team, though he'd decided to try for keeper as it was the only position none of his brother's had played. Bill had been a chaser, Charlie was a seeker and the twins were beaters. All had been exceptional players at those positions and he had enough trouble trying to stand out and not be lumped as just another Weasley. Hermione had little interest in the game, aside from watching her friends play and hoping Gryffindor defeated Slytherin.

They reached the great hall and took the seats that were theirs. It was unusual that they, being fifth years, would have the center of the table, but due to the mystery and celebrity that clung to Harry despite his downplaying of his role, they were considered as somewhat leaders of the Gryffindor house. Despite his lack of interest in the titel, he was still the One-who-Lived. The only person to survive once Voldemort had decided they should die. And he was now the One-Who-Lived-Again. Twice now, Voldemort had personally attempted to kill Harry and twice he had lived. Plus, being the star and only guaranteed player for the Quidditch team as well as the youngest ever winner of the Triwizard tournament naturally lead to his being well known. His lack of ego and his readiness to spread the spotlight to his friends had made him popular among the other students for himself as well as his history.

There were still those that didn't believe him about the return of Voldemort, however. Cornelius Fudge from the Ministry and many of his supporters felt he was at worst exagerrating and at best being deluded by an old man's paranoia. Fudge had a long standing grudge against Dumbledore. When the previous Minister retired, most of the wizardy folk of standing had requested that Dumbledore take up the post. But the ancient and powerful wizard refused, stating his preference to remain at his beloved Hogwarts. So, as a last resort, they turned and gave the position to Fudge. At first Fudge had relied on Dumbledore's advice and suggestions, but as he became more confident in himself, he stopped listening to anyone who offered him a point of view differing from his own. He began to actively fear that Dumbledore was secretly plotting to remove him from his post and so he started to protest Dumbledore's every suggestion at council meetings.

This year he had managed to convince the Ministry that Dumbledore was starting to loose his grip on things at Hogwart's. This lead to their appointing a special post of Inquisitor to one of his loyal band. Dolores Umbridge was a witch of no special gifts or talents except a zeal for order and a strong sense of loyalty to Fudge. She was a short, wide woman whose girth was nearly a match for Hagrid. She would be making the rounds of the classrooms, grading the teachers and evaluating their teaching methods. She had been granted the power to punish students and teachers alike. She also had the power to expell any student or to bar them from any activeties not tied to a class assignment.

Though she was not teaching a course, she had demanded that the students address her as Professor. It had been Fudge's goal to have her assigned to Defense Against the Dark Arts, but at the last moment Dumbledore had assigned the class to Black. And though he was still considered a fugitive by the Ministry, there were precedents for allowing him to teach at Hogwart's under the supervision of the other professors. Dumbledore had a lot of power in the wizarding community and they felt that anyone who had escaped Azkhaban should be kept under close watch and even Fudge had to agree that there was no one more likely to be able to control Black than Dumbledore. The true threat being that no one believed the tales of the events of the Triwizard cup.

Few believed Harry's recitation of events and the Ministry was leaning on the Daily Prophet to make clear their view that Harry was a poor, misguided orphan who having been raised in a Muggle home and only learning of his wizard heritage just a few short years prior, was doing all he could to get the attention he had lacked during his childhood. Making up stories of the return of the man who had killed his parents was forgiveable for such a young deluded and misguided boy.

There were some that denied all of the incidents of recent years, even though there was ample proof for some. The story of the Philosopher's Stone was considered to be a lark made up by Dumbledore in order to avoid punishing a favored student for his exagerrated and clearly false account of the death of a professor. Then the tale of the basilisk and the Chamber of Secret's was just seen as further proof that Mr. Potter was receiving special considerations. And with Gilderoy Lockhart having lost all memories of those events, there was no one but his friends to provide witness for Potter. Though they tried to hide their bias behind false facades of cooperation, many in the wizarding world still felt that Muggle's and Muggle born wizard's should not be allowed at such a historic and prestigious school of witchraft. This lead to many discounting Hermione out of turn as she was born into a completely muggle family and added to the distrust of Harry as his mother had been a half Muggle.

The start of the morning passed uneventfully for Harry. Breakfast was a bore as always, though they were introduced to the Inquisitor who had arrived while they slept. The professors had received further notice from the expected Sensei, and they passed it on to the students. Four of the six still expected had been delayed while running into each other and would be arriving sometime that afternoon. The other's had finished making their arrangement's early and would arrive the next day. This was of great comfort to the other houses for they did not wish to fall too far behind the Gryffindor house in the new classes. Those students who were scheduled to have the new courses that day and the next were advised that those periods would be study periods. Regular course work would commence the day after the arrival of the last of the teachers.

After breakfast, where they once again sat at the center of the table across from Ranma and Akane who had somehow pulled some first year's to their sides, they made their way to class. They passed Malfoy's gang, but ignored them. They knew, if no one believed them, that Malfoy's parents were two of the most trusted Death Eaters, along with Crabbe and Goyle's parents. Their first class that morning was Healing Herbs which was supposed to be taught by Sensei Kasumi. However, as she was not going to be arriving until the next evening, they had a bit of a break.

With a free hour opening up first thing in the morning on the very first day of class, they had no homework to finish and nothing to study. So the three decided to go back to the common room and relax a bit. The next class they had would be defense against the dark arts, which they were looking forward. Ron and Harry set up the chess board for a quick game, while Hermione took out a text book and started reading.

"What do you think of that Umbridge woman?" Hermione asked.

"She looks like a fat slug." Ron stated as he considered his second move. He looked up after moving his king side knight. "I wonder what she's really doing here."

"No doubt she's spying on Dumbledore for Fudge." Hermione replied. "Fudge has had it in for Dumbledore for years and what with last year's horrid end, he's looking for an excuse to sack the headmaster and probably most of the teachers."

Harry snorted. "With no one believing me about Voldemort, I don't wonder. People are too terrified to even say his name and he's been gone fourteen years."

"Still, I wonder how Dumbledore got the Ministry to accept Sirius. I mean, he's still wanted for killing Wormtail and excaping Azkhaban. No one believes about him being Scabber's all these years." Ron stated as he placed his piece down.

Hermione sighed. "If either of you bothered paying attention in class you'd know that school's like Hogwart's have always been considered neutral ground. The Headmaster of the school has right of law to hire anyone he wishes even prisoners who are still in Azkhaban. However the Headmaster is also responsible for the conduct of the person hired so if that person is unreliable or does something dastardly, then it's the headmaster who gets sent to Azhkaban and the teacher gets the Kiss."

"So Dumbledore is staking his entire reputation and career by hiring Sirius? That's a load of responsibility for him to manage." Harry said quietly.

"You think he might have trouble keeping his calm?" Ron asked, moving his bishop to take a pawn and put Harry in check.

"I don't know how he and Snape are ever going to work together without killing each other." Harry finally decided to take the bishop with his rook.

Ron shook his head as he studied the board. He took his own rook and moved it down the board, taking Harry's bishop. "Checkmate."

Harry looked up from the board. "Good game, Ron. I don't know how you always beat me."

Ron grinned. "Because you favor attacking with a few pieces and always use the same moves. Predictability is where you have problems Harry. You have to change tactics with each game or you'll lose every time."

"You should know by now, Harry, that Ron's a whiz at chess." Hermione added from her seat by the fire. "Anyway, it's almost time to get to class. Let's be early for a change."

Ron rolled his eyes but stood. "Sounds like a good idea to me. Never been a Weasley but that rat Percy who was early for a lesson."

Harry grinned. "Let's just put this away and we'll go."

Hermione stood and placed her textbook bag in her bag. "I wonder how Ranma and Akane are doing."

Ron snorted as he grabbed his own bag from Harry's hands. "Probably teaching Flitwick how to grow taller. Ranma told me this morning that they have charms first. That's why they were talking to those first years. They were asking about getting help with casting in exchange for extra help later on with the martial arts lessons."

"I don't doubt it. I talked to Akane a bit more last night after they finished with the other professors. They really don't have any magical abilities of their own. They just are cursed to keep running into magical creatures and cursed items."

"We'll ask them more tonight at the first class with them this afternoon. Hopefully they don't start us with something too hard." Ron pushed open the portrait hanging over the opening and the three started on their way through the halls to Room 13. They were joined along the way by Neville Longbottom and Seamus Finnigan.

" 'Morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione." Neville said cheerfuly. "Have a good summer? My gran took me to see Stonehenge, said it's a shame what the Muggle's have done, what with the tourists and all. My uncle was so proud o' what happened the last couple of years, he bought me a new cauldron. I'm actually looking forward to potions to see how it works. Maybe it will help me keep from going to pieces when Snape looks at me."

"Good luck with that. I don't think a cauldron is going to help any of us in Snape's class. He hates us, especially Harry here." Ron stated as they near the door to the class. As usual when room was not in use, the door was solidly locked and would remain so until the professor opened it from the inside. "What about you, Seamus? Do anything special this summer?"

"Not really. Me mum and da' were too worried about what happened with .. .with Cedric. They migh' not of believed Harry, but they go a long way back with the Diggory's. We was at his funeral. It was awful. Tell the truth, I'd a rather not o' gone. Might not be the politest thin' to say, but me, I'd rather think of Cedric like he was, playing Quidditch and laughing with the rest of us at Fred and George's pranks."

Harry felt his heart sink as the familiar memory of Cedric's death. It was his fault that the other boy was dead. If it weren't for Voldemort and all trying to kill him, Cedric would still be alive. And Cho Chang would still be smilling, instead of crying. As much as he had hated Cedric at times for dating Cho, he would never have wished him dead. A few minor warts and boils, maybe, but not dead. Cedric was a decent chap and Harry wished he had gotten to know him better.

A sound from inside the room had them all turn to face the door. It swung open, and they all entered. Harry glanced at his watch in passing, noting that there was still ten minutes before class. They would have some time to talk with Sirius before the rest of the class arrived, though Harry had heard Malfoy and his crew laughing as they made their way towards the room. Not looking forward to sharing another year of Defense Against the Dark Arts with the son of a Death Eater, Harry decided to simply take his seat near the front of the class and smile at his godfather.

A few minutes later, the entire class of fifth years for Gryffindor and Slytherin were seated at the tables, awaiting Professor Black's instructions. The Gryffindor's had all seated to the right side of the room, with the Slytherin taking the left. Malfoy and his cronies were sitting at the back of the class talking to each other in low turns and grinning maliciously at the Gryffindor students.

Sirius Black strode to the front of the room, stalking across the dueling platform. He glared at the Slytherin's, sneering at Malfoy who had the sense to quiet down and feel worried. Then he glanced at the Gryffindor's with a distinct lack of interest until he found Harry's group, who he favoured with a small smile.

"As I said last night, I am Sirius Black. And these are the rules of my class. Within the grounds of Hogwart's you will address me as professor or sir. Anyone who does not, will be lose their house ten points. Anyone who is late to class will lose their house ten points. Anyone who attacks another student outside of the dueling platforms will lose their house 25 points." He turned to glare again at Malfoy. "Anyone who mentions Azhkaban in my hearing will lose their house 100 points." Malfoy looked like he wanted to protest but was too scared to do so to Sirius's face. "So that you all know, you were assigned textbooks for this course. I would like you to all take them out." He watched as they all took out the assigned books.

"Now, I want you to throw them in the bin as you leave class. They are useless. I will be teaching you practical and usefull magic that is not found in the pages of those books. Books which were written by people who had no real experience with the dark arts. I have another list of books you will need to read, however there is a limited supply in the library so you will have to group yourselves in threes and fours in order to sign them out. They are in the forbidden section, so I will advise you all to remember that you need my permission to gather them. They are not to leave the library. Anyone who is found with one of the texts will be docked 10 points. Anyone who continues to read these books," he gestured at the books they had brought, "will be docked 30 points."

He walked back to the other end of the class, looking dinstinctly odd wearing jeans and a black shirt instead of robes. "You, and you" he said pointing at a Slytherin and a Gryffindor student who were wearing lost looks on their faces. "Get on the platform and we'll start with disarming and reflecting spells."

Harry grinned as he watched the dark haired Slytherin girl facing the pale, blond Gryffindor. He couldn't recall either's name, but it hardly mattered. This was definitely going to be his favorite class.

"Wineguard Los Burrito!" Ranma demanded, flicking her wand at the feather sitting on the desk in front of her. She felt the frustration rising inside her again as instead of floating serenely above the table, her feather turned green with flashing blue spots and started crawling around. She slammed her fist on the feather, feeling is squish as it was crushed.

The teacher, a short old man named Flitwick looked over at Ranma from where he was patiently guiding a young girl throught the motion for the levitation spell. "Is there a problem, Mr. Saotome?"

"Yeah, I just ain't any good with this. I can't get the words right." Ranma frowned and her shoulders slumped. "I never been good at languages. It's just a stupid spell that's letting me understand you. It's not even a real language spell. I hear everything you say and it's translated into Japanese in my head. I'm pretty sure that's what you hear too, right? I'm still speaking Japanese, but it's being changed into English as you hear it."

Flitwick smiled. "That is very good, Ranma. It's taken some of the most powerful wizard's years to come to that conclusion concerning the spell placed on you and your wife." Flitwick moved across the tops of the stacked books to stand in front of Ranma. "Would you care to hazard a guess of why it is done that way instead of the other?"

Ranma screwed his face up in concentration. "Because it's a lot harder to teach a whole language than it is to translate one? I mean, languages are like clothes. Just because two people wear the same thing, doesn't mean it fits the same or that it has the same meaning to both of them. Languages have all kinds of little tricks that change the whole meaning of some words and sometimes even placing them in a different order changes the whole meaning of a sentence. By using this spell, you skip that. It translates to exactly what the person speaking really means without having to worry about using a word at the wrong time or place."

Professor Flitwick reached over and clasped Ranma's shoulder. "Exactly correct, Mr. Saotome. 20 points to Gryffindor for noticing the spell's effect, and 20 more for guessing the reason for the use of that spell instead of language fluency spell. Now, let's see what we can do about your feather." Flitwick spent the rest of the class working with Ranma on pronunciation and wrist movements. Akane smiled proudly and danced her feather around her desk, not floating, but more of a bouncing movement.

As they left the class, Akane happily took Ranma's hand and kissed her on the cheek. "How did you figure that out, koi?"

Ranma blushed at the kiss as some of the younger student they were walking with snickered at them. Strangely, he had the feeling that no one really cared that they were both girls at the moment, unlike when they walked around Japan. "Well I was thinking about it this morning while you were sleeping. I mean, if they had just dumped English in our heads, why was I hearing a delay between seeing people talk and what I was hearing. So I shifted my hearing up a bit like with the Amaguriken, and I could hear the English words and then the way they changed in my head."

"Wow, Ranma. That's pretty smart of you." Akane stated, pulling Ranma to her side and giving her another peck. They revelled in the close contact as they walked to their next class. "What happened to the baka I fell in love with?"

Ranma leaned close enough and put her lips to Akane's ear, causing her to shiver slightly at the intimacy. "If I remember correctly, you seduced me while I was recovering from being bombed." Ranma kissed the earlobe and danced out of Akane's grip.

Akane fought the blush at the memory Ranma's words caused to surface. "Ranma! Get back here!" She shouted as she chased her laughing spouse to the door of their next class, being slowly followed by some confused 12 year olds.

They quieted down as they entered the class and came to see the stern looking woman who had been responsible for the sorting hat ceremony. They took seat in the middle of the class and took out the quills and books they had been told they would need for this. Once all the seats were filled, the woman nodded and the door closed with a bang.

"Good morning, 2nd years. As I am sure you all remember, this is Transfiguration and I am Professor McGonagal." She scanned the room, making a note of faces she recognized from the year before and a few she did not know. "I will be attempting to instruct you in the magic of changing one thing into another." She gestured to a thin, black haired boy. "Mr. Johns, if you will kindly distribute a snail to each student, we will begin."

The boy, a member of the Ravenclaw house, walked over and picked up the bowl. He walked among the students, giving each a four inch snail. After giving the last snail to the student sitting at the rear of the class, he placed the box on a handy table and returned to his seat, waiting for further instruction.

"As you all now have your snails we will begin." She moved back to her stool and took out her wand. She swished it up and down in a smooth movement. "Transmogro!" The table in front of her turned into a small yapping poodle. "Transmogro!" And the table was back.

While Ranma was only slightly successful in this course than he had been in the previous, at least he was able to understand more of the theory. By the end of the class, he had managed to change the snail into a mouse. True, the mouse didn't have legs, and it left a trail of slime as it moved, but it was better then Akane had done, her's having only sprouted fur and ears.

The next class was Defense Against the Dark Arts, and they joined the third year class for it. That was an easy one for both of them, since they were experienced at fighting and using similar enough abilities that they could skip most of the class. They were a little impatient since Snape kept baiting them and it took all they had to keep from lowering themselves to his level. After Defense, they had flying lessons with Madam Hootch. This was one of the classes they were eager to under take. Ranma could already raise himself into the air and hover, but he had yet to master the ability to move in any direction but up and down. Of course, that was in his human forms. For real flight, he could simply change to his dragon form. But the idea of flying a broom was interesting in and of itself.


	3. Section 3

Lunch came around and Ranma and Akane once again found themselves sitting across from Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ron's brothers Fred and George took the seats to either side of Ranma and Akane. They had recently come of age during the summer and lorded it over Ron and their sister Ginny that they had been given permission to Apparate and Disapparate. They had gone a little over board at home, aparating around the house and from room to room instead of walking. But Ron still thought they were better than Percy had been when he had reached age.

Percy's name was currently mud at the Weasley home. He had refused to come home at all since the previous year and was quite vocal in his derision of Harry and Dumbledore. He had been given a promotion at the Ministry and was now the Junior Executive Assistant to Minister Fudge. He had made it clear that he sidded with the Minister in all ways and that he believed his parents were wrongly supporting Dumbledore and Harry.

"Hey Harry, got a new thing to show you." one of the twins said. No one except themselves could tell them apart when they were near each other. He took out a box of candies and handed one to Harry. "We think these will be big sellers with students and their parents."

Harry reached out and held one up to see it better. Half the candy was yellow and the other half was purple. He made to pop it into his mouth but a hand reached out to stop him.

"Don't want to do that here, Harry. These are special candies." the orange haired boy leaned forward. "See the yellow part here makes you ill, and the purple part is the antidote. We have a bunch of different flavours, all designed to help you get out of any class you want. Yellow is the vomit one. You bite the yellow half and a few seconds later, you start vomitting. When the teacher lets you leave, you force down the purple half and tada! Instant free period to enjoy the leisurely activity of your choice. We have red for nosebleed, orange for fever, green for boils, blue for flu, and black for pox, among others. Fred and I thought them up and tested them on ourselves over the summer. We've already had a dozen preorders from some first years. Thought we'd test them a bit more so we posted a notice on the board in the common room. 5 knuts per pill to each person willing to test them for us."

Fred nodded. "We're having problems with the nosebleed and fever. We can make it start bleeding fine, but the reversal is not quite there. Instead of stopping the bleeding, it makes the nose run like a bad cold. And the fever is spotty. Only a few spots start fevering while the rest are normal. gives new meaning to Spotted Fever."

Hermione gasped while the others seemed amazed. "That's horrible! What if someone gets hurt? They could bleed too much, or hurt themselves from vomitting too often."

"Relax Hermione. We'd never do anything that might really hurt a customer. Don't want to be taken before the Board of Magical Misuse afterall. We aren't selling anything until it's totally perfected. Right now that means the vomit and flu are the only ones we're selling. Still have to work on the rest before we'll even try them on anyone else. George and I know what we're doing. Don't forget, Hermione, we're sixth year and you're only fifth. We have learned a bit while we've been here, you know."

"Could I get a couple of yellows, then George? They'd be perfect to skive out of potions with Snape." Ron asked hopefully. Harry also looked hopefully from the candy to the twins.

"Sorry mate, not today. You'll just have to stick it out for the first week or two. It's too early in the year to be missing lessons without Snape and McGonagal getting suspicious. Give us a month or so to perfect all the pills and we'll sell you a box at a family discount." George glanced at Ranma and Akane, who had been watching them while they ate. "You won't tell the other's will you? I mean, we've all got you for those martial arts class things, but you're still Gryffindor's right? Wouldn't want the house to loose points for something harmless like these eh?"

Ranma chuckled and played with her pigtail. "Just don't even think they'll get you out of our classes. Sick or in great health, everyone will be in class." She grinned at Akane. "Just ask Akane what it's like to train with a broken nose and jaw."

Akane blushed and gently elbowed Ranma's shoulder. "That was just light kata work though. The sort of things we'll be teaching for the first few months, like we told Ron and the others last night. If you're really hurt, we'll let you out, but you can't lie about it even with those pills. We'll be able to tell."

Fred and George scoffed. They were accomplished liars and masters of deception. They didn't see how the two would be able to tell when they were lying. "How?" George asked.

"Because I can read auras. Not that mystical magical aura crap, but the real thing. Your aura is the manisfestation of your feelings and thoughts. It's always there but it takes a lot of training to be able to see it and even more to be able to hide it. The more powerful you are, the easier it is to see your aura."

"Is your's easy to see?" asked Fred.

Akane snorted and put down her glass of juice. "If Ranma wasn't holding his in check, it would be burning around him for several feet. You remember the glowing from last night? Well that was what Ranma is currently showing as his power. Just releasing the whole of his aura would destroy this room."

"That sounds impressive. I'm guessing there aren't too many around who are that strong?" Harry asked.

"Maybe a dozen in the world who could come close to that level and only one or two who are that strong. That old woman I told you about? She's three hundred years old and her aura would destroy about half this room. The pervert who sent us, his would be about half again as strong as hers. Akane's would destroy this table, but not much more than that." Ranma stated. "That's just the release of the holds we keep on our auras. By using our ki, we could reduce the whole of Hogwarts to dust within minutes."

Hermione shook her head. "That's not possible. Hogwarts is protected by very strong magic -"

Akane cut her off before she could get too far. "Magic and Ki are not the same things, despite what some people think. Ki is a natural force produced by all living things while magic is wholely supernatural in nature. It exists all around of us and the spells you use tap into a generic field that is available to all people. The amount of power you can draw from this field is what makes a wizard or witch more powerful than others. With ki, it's a more personal power. It is produced by you and can only be used by you. You can give it to someone else but once you do, it's no longer your's. You train to grow stronger and the stronger you get, the more ki you can produce. With magic, you're born with the ability to tap the field. How much you can draw never changes. It's only how you can use it and how quickly that changes."

They were all frowning now.

"So what you're saying is that we're only as powerful now as we were when we were born? That can't be true!" Hermione stated angrily. "It just can't. Otherwise what makes one more powerful than another." A horrified look came over her face. "Why would we bother to study? What would be the point?"

Akane gently clasped her new friend's hand. "Hermione, it is true. We're not saying a child can do things an adult can. We just mean that the child can, if it was taught to do so, draw as much as it would when it was fully grown. The amount of energy you can draw from the magical field is fixed and everyone has their own maximum. Think about it. If what we're saying is true, than anyone who is taught a spell, no matter their age, would be able to do the spell because they already have all the power they need to do so. It's just a matter of learning to use the power."

Fred was the first to think of an example of what the two were saying. "Hermione, it must be true! Just think. If it wasn't true, how do you explain how Harry here can do a Patronus? Or the fact that You-know-who is so terrified of him that he tried to kill Harry when Harry was a baby AND HAD NO TRAINING AT ALL?"

George continued for his twin. "I looked it up, like I'm sure you have. Harry is the youngest to do a full corporeal Patronus in centuries. Everything that's happened to you three just proves what Ranma and Akane are saying. You and Ron too, have done spells you really shouldn't be able to do if your age affected how powerful you are."

"I think they're right, Hermione. It explains a lot. Like why I survived Voldemort's attack when I was a baby and why I was able to escape last year. And why I was able to do a Patronus at all. It's a difficult spell, Hermione. It uses a lot of power just to get a small one and my Patronus is a great stag."

"You might be right. But if so, why is one person capable of drawing so much more than another?" she asked, her mind buzzing with the possibilities.

Ranma shrugged. "Dunno. Pure dumb luck? Can't see why it's anything else. Except maybe circumstance? Maybe there's a time in everyone's life when they're a baby that defines how much power they'll draw?"

"We can talk about it later. Right now I think we should mention that Snape was baiting us during our class this morning." Akane stated, drawing the other's attention.

"You had potions this morning?" Ron asked.

"No, the Defense class. Dumbledore said Snape was teaching the 1st to 3rd years, and we were placed in with the third years for that class. Black is only teaching 4th and up. I think we'll be moved up soon for that course anyway. We've already fought and defeated more powerful stuff than what Snape said we'd be learning." Akane looked up at the great clock that hung suspended in the air during lunch hour to remind students of their class times. "Come on Ranma, we have to get to Care of Magical Creatures."

Harry and the other's smiled. "You should like that course. Hagrid's a bit unusual in selecting animals for study, but it's always interesting. Come on Ron, we've got Divination next."

Ron stood and slapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh, I'm having a vision. A vision of a dark, lonely tower. Inside the tower is a classroom. The teacher is facing a student with a scar on his head. She is predicting his painful and horrible death by the end of the new moon."

Harry and the other's laughed as they made their way out of the hall. "Ron, that's not a prediction, that's a memory. She predicts my death every time we go to class." Harry grinned. "She's not been right so far and I doubt she's had too many real visions. Bye Fred, George. See you later, Hermione."

"We'll see you all at 3:30 in the dining hall." Ranma stated. "You're all in our martial arts class together, remember?"

Fred and George grinned. "That's not right, that. 6th years mixing with lowly 5th years. That's just not right." Laughing they walked off to join a group of Gryffindor 6th years on the way to their next class. Hermione followed, her next class being next to Fred and George's. It was the only one this year that she was taking outside of the regular schedule. She had dropped the Divinition course for the Arithmancy course. It was the most difficult course and she rarely mentioned what they studied in the class.

The next two hours passed slowly for them all. Only Ranma and Akane enjoyed themselves as this year, Hagrid had managed to get ahold of baby firehounds. The firehound was black with red streaks and an adult would be capable of breathing a twenty foot long flame and was immune to fire. The babies were no less impressive, with their smoking snouts and need for a nest in a firepit. They learned that contrary to popular opinion, firehounds actually never ate meat. They lived on the burned embers of fires, the wild ones living in forests that were known for fires and near volcanoes.

Time crawled during the Plant course as neither Ron nor Harry were particularly interested in plant life. However they needed to know how to care for the plants so that the harvesting of ingredients would be successful. The plants they were growing now, would be used in the Healing Herbs course as well as the Potions course. With the healing herbs teacher not having arrived, Ranma and Akane had a free period and they made the most of it, moving the tables in the dining hall to the sides so that they'd have a large empty space to place the practice mats.

They talked it over and decided that the first part of the class would be spent getting to know the students. They had only spoken to a few members of the Gryffindor house and today would be a good place to start with the rest. The last fifteen or so minutes would be spent getting the hall back to normal and the tables in place.

Since they still had a while before anyone would be arriving, they decided to run a few katas. They changed into gi's and faced each other. They started with the beginner's sextet and ran through them in slow motion. Time blurred as they mirrored each other and as they finished the final stance of the sextet, they were slightly startled by a loud clapping and cheering from all around them.

Ranma and Akane blushed and fiddled with their thumbs. They had lost all track of time during the cycle of the kata and were a little embarassed at being watched without their knowledge.

"Er hello. Why don't you all come in and stand in a double circle. I guess we'll have the oldest students in the back and the youngest in the front." Ranma stated. The Gryffindor's, filled with the excitement at the thought of being taught such gracefull motions eagerly filled in to the hall and stood as they had been directed.

"I'm Ranma Saotome and this is my wife, Akane. We're here at Hogwarts to teach you selfdefense. While we don't know you all yet, we look forward to getting to know you. During class times, you will refer to us as Sensei and outside of class we are simply students such as any of you. We are here to help you, and to learn a little magic of our own."

Akane took the reins from Ranma. "A few things you should know before we start. Ranma and I have been training for most of our lives to get as good as we are. We don't expect you to learn everything all at once. We will start at the basics and go from there. What you saw us doing is the beginning sextet of our school, the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. It is what we will be teaching you to start with. We won't start with the first of the sextet until the second class. What we're going to be doing today is basically learn about each other." Akane looked around the faces of the gathered crowd. "We'll start by telling you a little about ourselves."

Ranma stepped forward again. "I'm sure some of you remember what happened last night. Let's just show you again." Ranma reached under his gi and removed his bra. He placed it next to his clothes and turned back to the class. "As you can see, I am a woman at the moment. I was not born a girl. I was born a boy. When I was 4 my father decided to take me on a training trip. For ten years we travelled Japan and Asia. When I was fourteen, he decided it was time to visit the legendary training grounds of China. So taking me out of school, we hoped a train to the coast and swam over to China. After six months in China we reach a place called Jhusenkyo. For those who don't understand chinese and who haven't started the assignment I gave yesterday, Jhusenkyo means Pools of Sorrow. It looked like a harmless little place, with about a hundred shallow pools of water with bamboo poles sticking out of them at various heights. We leapt up to the top of the poles and started sparring. Eventually I was able to knock my father into one of the pools.

I leapt back to another pole and waited for him to resurface. After a minute or two I started getting worried and moved a little closer. As I neared the pool, I was shocked to see a huge form leaping out of the pool to the top of a pole. It was my father, but it wasn't. It was a giant 8 foot tall panda. I stared at him for a few seconds and then turned to our guide and started to ask what the hell was happening. My idiot of a father hadn't realized what had happened to him and thought I was dismissing him so he attacked me, knocking me into a pool. I was under for about a minute and when I eventually surfaced, I looked like this." Ranma gestured at his current form. "At first I hated it. My father was raising me to be a man among men. And I turned into a girl. We thought they were permanent until the guide explained the nature of the curse. When splashed with cold water, we would become the cursed forms. When splashed with hot, we'd return to normal. My father decided to skip the other sites and we returned to china. He said he wanted to visit an old friend of his and so we travelled to the Nerima ward of Tokyo. Once we were a few blocks from their house, the idiot decides to tell me that I was going to be engaged to one of his friend's daughters. I tried to run, but he hit me with a street sign and carried me off to the house. That's how Akane and I met."

"We pretty much fell in love right away, but we were both too stubborn to admit that our father's had done something right. Ranma had lived with his father for the last ten years and wasn't exactly the most social of people. And I was being harassed by the boys at school and was far from accepting of a boy being forced on me. It took a long time for us to get together, but in the end, it was worth it. It allowed Ranma time to get used to his female form and to gain control of the curse so that he can change forms at will. About a year ago, Ranma started training me to pass our final testing from the schools Grandmaster and we were married immediately after the test. That was two months ago.

"Unfortunately, we were still being chased and attacked by a gang of idiots so the Grandmaster decided on sending us away. That's were Hogwarts comes in. He had once taught here a long time ago and knew that it was a special place. We could all feel a great evil power returning to this part of the world and he decided that it would be best if we were in the area if our talents were needed. But the headmaster would only agree if he could have enough teachers for all four houses. That's were the others come in. They were chasing us and being a pain in the ass, but they were the only ones who would be capable of training the other three houses in the arts they would need." Ranma stated. He had returned to his male form and readjusted the gi top. Curiously, his transformation had not drawn too many gasps from the crowd. Usually there were all kinds of questions and comments when he changed.

"We won't get into who the others are. If you're curious, you can ask Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger or Harry Potter. They were kind enough to ask last night during supper. What we will tell you is that my sister and her husband are coming and that they will be teaching the Accupuncture and Pressure point course that was added this year." Akane stated drawing a few curious stares. She had just changed to her own male form. She looked much the same, with the same blue hair and features, but her male form was taller than Ranma's and more muscular than Ryoga. "A few months before our wedding, we went back to Jhusenkyo and I hopped into the pool of drowned man. I've only been able to control the change for a few weeks and I can still be changed by water when I'm tired." She changed back to her normal body, turning away to readjust her bra. She had forgotten about what happened when she was wearing one and changed. "We have a few other surprises but we hope that most of you will never know."

"Why not?" asked a boy standing next to Ginny Weasley.

Ranma's face turned grim. "Because some of them will only be needed if there is great danger to the school. If we have to use them, than there's a good chance most of you won't be around to see them." The class quieted down and a few of the students started shifting on their feet.

"Anyway, that's enough about us. Let's all get to know each other. Some of you are first year students and don't know any of the others, and some of the older students have never bothered with those outside of their own levels. So I want each of you to step forward and introduce yourself. Tells us something about you, a special skill or talent that you have." Ranma pointed at a young girl who was staring at them with wide brown eyes. "You go first. Everyone pay attention because homework tonight is a written list of everyone's name and skill." He smiled at the girl, who blushed terribly. "Don't be scared. No one here will hurt you in any way."

That night at supper, Ranma and Akane were greeted with smiles by all the Gryffindor students as they moved to take their seats. They greeted them by name and with a smile for each student. The other houses watched jealously, wondering when they'd get their own Sensei. As the tables filled with food, and the students started chattering to each other, no one noticed that the great doors to the hall opened slightly and a small head took a peek. Ranma and Akane had frozen for a moment as they felt the familiar presences of some of their friends. The only other to notice the intrusion was Dumbledore who had been chatting with McGonagall about the Umbridge woman who had so far managed to annoy most of the staff with her habit of interupting lessons. She was seated at the far end of the table, near Madam Hootch who was the only one to be able to stand her presence.

Dumbledore rose as the door closed behind the figure again. Silence began to descend on the students as they noticed their headmaster's desire for their attention. He waited patiently until everyone was silent, including Dolores Umbridge who had been telling Hootch of how well she thought her visit was going.

"Good evening again students. For those of you wondering why I have interupted this wonderful meal, I assure you it will not be a regular event." He could feel the impatience of the people waiting behind the door as he spoke. "It has just come to my attention that a party consisting of half the remaining Sensei has arrived. Two of the three remaining houses will be receiving their instructors today. From what I have heard, Gryffindor had an excellent class with their new teachers today ." He paused while the Gryffindor students errupted in cheer. "And let me now introduce some more newcomers to Hogwarts." He made a gesture and the immense double doors swung open, revealing the figures standing behind it.

The four figures walked into the brightly light hall and resolved into distinctive forms. There was a tall young man wearing thick glasses and dark robes who kept glancing around. Next to him was another young man, carrying a huge backpack and wearing dirty, rumpled clothes. His thick black hair was held back by a yellow spotted bandana and he flashed a nervous grin to the crowd, revealing a long fang.

One of the other figures was a purple haired girl who smiled brightly and waved greetings to the crowd. She was wearing an oriental designed pantsuit in pink with a floral pattern. She was carrying a midsized bag and was wearing a long sword strapped to her back. The other figure was blanced on a staff, and was hopping after the others. It was about two feet tall with long grey hair trailing behind her. She was wearing a green robe and everyone she passed shivered slightly at the power they could feel from her. Complete silence reigned in the room save for the lavendar haired girl's greeting to Ranma and Akane, who watched them pass silently.

As they reached the small steps that lead up to the head table, the old crone hopped forward. and bowed to the professors. The three youths also bowed, before turning to face the students again.

"Welcome to Hogwarts Reverend Mother Ku Long of the Jokoketsu tribe. We are honored by your attendance at our school." Dumbledore stated to the elder.

Ku Long raised from her bow and smiled her ghastly toothless grin at Dumbledore. "Greetings to you, Great Magi. It has been a long time indeed since the last time I was within these walls. Nearly two hundred years have passed since I was last in Britain." The crowd behind her was awed as she stated this fact. "The last time I saw you, Dumbledore, you were a second year student at this school. And now you are the HeadMaster and one of the most respected mages in history. It was my pleasure to be invited to return to Hogwarts. I was a student when I was last here and now I am here to instruct these students. I look forward to the challenge." She turned slightly and gestured at her companions. The three youths took nervous steps forward, though they tried not to show it.

"I would like to introduce you to my great-grandaughter, Xian Pu. She is my heir for my former position in the tribe. The ugly idiot with the glasses is Mu Tsu, another member of my tribe and the current master of the Hidden Weapons school. The other boy is Ryoga Hibiki. He is a solid sort of person who's family was cursed with a direction curse. He gets lost easily, but he is quite powerful for one so young. I know many people easily four times his age who are not as powerful as he. We are all hoping to find some glimmer of talent among you." During her introductions, she had turned on her staff to face the crowd. She nodded to Professor McGonagal, who was holding the sorting hat. "Place that on the idiot first."

Mu Tsu brisled at the continued insults but he took his place as the elderly witch placed the magical hat on his head. The hat searched his memories, and finding what he needed, he called out his findings. "A sneaky and sly boy, aren't you? Quite good at trickery and misdirection. For you: SLYTHERIN!" The words were greeted by scattered clapping from the Slytherin table, none of them seeming too impressed by the sight of the nearly blind martial artist.

Mu Tsu stood and adjusted his glasses. He was guided in the direction of Slytherin's table and took a seat, waiting to see what happened next.

Ryoga took the stool next, his pack still strapped to his back. The hat rested on his head and started mumbling to itself. "Well, you're brave enough for Gryffindor, and sneaky enough for Slytherin. You'd be a good match for gentle Hufflepuff, but for you: RAVENCLAW!" Ravenclaw's students cheered enthusiastically, impressed by the boy's obvious strength.

Ku Long nodded to Xian Pu who took the still next. The hat had rested on her head for barely a second, before declaring her new home. "SLYTHERIN!" The announcent was met by a huge uproar from the Slytherin table and moans of dissapointment from the others. Xian Pu studied her table brightly, until she reliazed that Ranma was at another. She sulked as she took her seat next to Mu Tsu.

When McGonagal gestured for Ku Long to sit on the stool, the elder shook her head. "I am not here to learn, child. I have already been sorted. That was a hundred years before you were born. I was and am a part of Slytherin house." She moved to the table, casting glance at the students who were impressed by her presence. "I am a teacher, and as such, I will sit with the other teachers." She hoped over and took a seat next to Hagrid. She appeared even tinier seated next to the half-giant.

The Hufflepuff tables were disappointed by the lack of teachers of their own, but as Dumbledore said they would be arriving the next day, they were prepared to wait. Dumbledore clapped once and every one turned back to their meal.

"So what are you all going to do this evening?" Fred and George asked the others. "We're going to work on our little pills."

Hermione grinned. "We're going to do our homework."

Ron, Harry, and Ranma groaned. Akane grinned with Hermione and squeezed Ranma's thigh. He had returned to his female form after the class, having explained to everyone their habit of alternating days for male and female forms.

"We need to do it, Ranma. We're behind everyone else here, in terms of magical ability. We need to catch up."

Ranma pouted, making her face even cuter. "But it's not fair! Ryoga just got here and we haven't fought yet! You know he'll just start something in a class unless we can finish it now."

Akane sighed. "I know, but I had to try. Just take it outside okay? We don't want to destroy any of the castle and make everyone hate us."

Ranma smiled and gave Akane a kiss. "I'll see you in our room later, okay?" She ignored the slightly startled looks on the faces around them as she bounced happily over to the Ravenclaw table were Ryoga was still stuffing his face.

She stood behind the lost boy, watching as he bit eagerly into his huge sandwich. Ryoga's hair was dustier than usual, making her wonder where he had been on his travels to find Hogwarts. She waited patiently until Ryoga took a drink of tea, then slapped him hard on the shoulder, causing him to spray tea all over the table. Other students were looking at her with confusion on their faces.

"Hey pigboy! Should you be eating that ham? Might be a relative of yours." she stated as she crossed her arms over her chest. She noted that several of the boys were staring fixedly at her ample chest and made a mental note of their faces and aura's so that she could find a way to punish them later.

"Rrranmaaa! Look what you made me do you insensitive jackass! I nearly spit tea on the girl." Ryoga stood and turned to face his rival. "I can't even go an hour without you ruining something of mine! Why don't you just leave me alone?"

Ranma grinned and fanned her nails with her breath in a typical girlish maneuver. She batted her eyes at Ryoga, who simply frowned at her. She took a good look at his face, noting how tired he looked. "Hey man, you okay? You aren't yourself today."

Ryoga snorted. "The old ghoul had us running most of the way while she rode on top of my bag. She said she'd train my speed up a bit but only if I carried her and Shampoo from the last train stop before here. I've been running without stop for three days. I think I'll be a bit faster, but I'm too tired to fight tonight. So I'll let you beat the crap out of me tomorrow okay?"

Ranma shrugged. "Fine by me. I just wanted an excuse to avoid doing my homework. This is not as fun as I'd thought it would be. Some of the classes are intersetin' but most of them are dull book work."

Ryoga's frown lightened and he retook his seat. Most of the other tables were empty now, as students finished supper and went off on their own pursuits. A large portion of the Ravenclaw table were still sitting there, waiting for Ryoga to show him were he'd be staying.

"How's this going to work? I know I'm supposed to teach them martial arts, but what else am I supposed to do?" Ryoga asked as he finished his sandwich and started pilling up another.

Ranma sat at the table, her feet crossed at the ankles and sticking into the aisle. She watched as a few straggles exited the hall, leaving only the Ravenclaw people and the Slytherin table occupied. She could hear Shampoo's high voice speaking rapidly to those gathered around her and Mouse. She glanced at the teacher's head table and saw that most of them had also left, although Ku Long was now sitting across from Dumbledore and the stern faced McGonagal.

"Well, we've all been assigned a few classes of our own. A little bit of everything really. We've all got to stick with our houses. Me and Akane are Gryffindor, you're in Ravenclaw, and the Amazons are in Slytherin. Tofu and Kasumi should get here tomorrow morning. They were able to finish early. I think they'll be in the other house, Hufflepuff."

Ryoga grunted before taking a huge bite of his sandwich. "How is Akane?" he asked casually.

Ranma's grin threatened to explode. "She's still mad. Mind you, she doesn't want to tear you apart with her bare hands any more. Last time she mention it, she was muttering something about cards."

Ryoga looked up curiously. "Cards? Why cards?"

Ranma gave a practiced shrug. "She just muttered something about spades or spading or something. I was too busy to pay attention to what she was saying."

Ryoga's face paled. He understood the hidden message clearly. "So things are okay with you two? Sorry I missed the wedding, but I didn't think it'd be a good idea. What with her wanting me dead and all."

Ranma laughed. "I understand. The weddings were a lot of fun. No one interrupted. No bombs going off, no Kuno's attacking us, the Amazon's behaved."

"What kept the Kuno's away?" Ryoga asked. "And why are you surprised the Amazon's behaved."

"Nabiki managed to finally have them committed. Although, it was only a voluntary thing so they were out a few weeks after. As for the Amazon's I expected Shampoo or those twins Rin and Ran to attack. Of course, Haabu was our best man, so they might have had second thoughts with him there."

Ryoga paused before taking another bite. "Wait. You said weddings. What weddings? I thought you were marrying Akane?"

Ranma nodded. One of her hands played with her hair. "I forgot you didn't know. About 6 months ago, Akane decided that in order to be my partner, she needed to share more of my life. So she convinced me to take her to Jhusenkyo."

Ryoga dropped the sandwich. He knew immediately what Ranma was alluding to. "So to be with you, she jumped into the pool? And you and her, I mean when she's a he. .. the two of you still . . ?"

Ranma blushed, causing a few hearts around them to stop beating for a few seconds. "I love her. She loves me. We had two weddings." Ranma smiled at the memory of the day rose within her. "It was so beautiful. We got married with a western ceremony in the morning, with me as the guy. That afternoon, we had another ceremony with her as the guy. We still have our dresses and tuxedos at the dojo. When we have a class together, I'll bring some pictures."

Ryoga smiled. "That fits with the two of you. I hope you never give her any reason to make her regret marrying you Ranma, because if you do, I'll find some way to kill you."

Ranma's face became serious. "And you know I'd let you." The two stared into each other's eyes, sealing their vow. "Just don't forget what you promised."

"I'll tell them. Now get the hell out of here. Go find Akane. I want to finish supper and start getting to know my fellow Ravenclaw's. And I'll tell them about myself." Ranma solemnly stood and winked at Ryoga before skipping away to find her wife.


	4. Section 4

Akane withheld a sigh as she watched Ranma trying to pretend to read the textbook for their Transfiguration class. She had read the assigned pages and finished the questions before Ranma had even returned to their room. She could understand Ranma's reluctance for the subject. As a dragon, he was a natural shapeshifter and the magic inherit in shifting his form made it too easy in that course. Only slightly more difficult for him was changing other people and things. But he had a head start in the whole subject due to Jhusenkyo and his gifts. She herself had a faint grasp of the subject thanks to her own curse.

She shifted in her seat, rearranging the book on charms she had been reading. She drew her feet up under herself in the large stuffed chair and tilted her head to study her spouse's profile.

Ranma was staring at the book she held, tilting it this way and that as her eyes moved over the page. Every few moments, she would turn a page, but it was a slow process. Ranma did not enjoy reading and though all their books had translation spells, she still found it difficult. She had a hard time with learning by static text or by sound. She had a much easier time learning from visual input such as watching someone do something.

Ranma's long redhair kept falling into her eyes and she'd flip it back with a sweep of her hand. The room was lit from the large fireplace and strategically placed candles. It cast odd shadows in the room and gave the room a soft, lived in feel that was absent in the harsh stone decor. The light from the candles and fire were reflected in Ranma's skyblue eyes, reminding Akane of the glowing orbs of her dragon form.

The long, red hair obscured Ranma's face again and she leaned back, the book thumping to the table as she huffed in frustration. She grabbed a tie from the table and tied her hair into a loose ponytail. Satisfied that it would keep her hair from her eyes as she struggled through the remaining pages of the text, she leaned her elbow on the desk and again tried to start reading the confusing words.

Akane smiled at the sight. She loved Ranma more than anything in the world. She would do anything to keep her safe. She'd known Ranma first as a girl who she'd thought could be a friend and than a boy who she'd mistakenly walked in on in the bath and who she'd been engaged too. She'd fought as hard as she could against her own feelings regarding the boy. She tried to distance herself from him, especially when he was a she. She'd been fearful of admitting that she loved him and her. But that was behind them now. Now she was free to admit and even act on the love she felt for her soultmate.

With a loving smile on her face, she marked her place in the book and set it aside. She stood and moved to stand behind her wife. She untied the hair and started to braid it properly. She could feel Ranma relax as her hands twisted the soft strands of red into a neat pigtail. She tied it off with a flourish and squeezed Ranma's shoulders. She slid her hands down to wrap her in a hug, resting her chin on Ranma's shoulders.

"Would you like some help, koibito?" she asked gently.

Ranma's gaze left the book to study her wife's face. She reached up and kissed the cheek. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble, but I just can't understand this stuff."

Akane chuckled and nuzzled into Ranma's neck. "Don't worry, koi. I know that you learn better by seeing it done. You just let me worry about learning it from these books and then I can try and demonstrate it for you. Though it might take spying on a teacher or two for us to learn this stuff. I don't learn as fast as you do, but I am getting better."

Ranma let the book drop again and turned the chair. Akane lowered to sit in Ranma's lap, her arms still wrapped around the smaller girl's neck. Ranma wrapped her arms around Akane's waist, gently caressing the small of her wife's back. She looked up and their eyes met, both filled with their love for each other.

"I love you, Ranma Saotome." Akane whispered, one hand moving to cup the back of Ranma's head.

Ranma stared lovingly into her beautiful brown eyes as she brought their faces closer together. "I love you, Akane Saotome." Their lips met and their eyes closed. They held each other close, savoring the feel and taste of each other.

A knock at their door interupted them and they sighed. Akane stood and moved to a seat next to Ranma's and called out for the person to enter. Neither was overly surprised to see Ku Long hop in.

"Greetings, Lord Ranma, Lady Akane." Ku Long stated as she bowed.

"Greetings, Revered Grandmother." they replied, bowing from their seats.

Ku Long grinned toothily and hopped from her staff to the chair. "It is good to see you both. How do you find Hogwarts so far?"

"Not too bad, really. Much better than Furinken anyway." Ranma stated. She looked to Akane for her opinion.

"It's certainly a more interesting subject material than what we had at Furinken. Although, we don't understand a lot of the theory behind some of the courses since Ranma's techniquely a Magical Creature and does magic without any real effort."

Ku Long nodded. She had expected as much. "That doesn't mean you can be lazy, girl." She stated to Ranma.

Ranma snorted. "As if I'd ever be lazy. It's just the theory. I mean, I can already change my shape, being a dragon and all. And most magic wouldn't work against me now because of that. Not unless there were a half dozen or so of the strongest wizards working together."

Akane leaned forward, a thought having occured to her. "Ku Long, what's going on with the Council? I thought Happosai asked us to come here to get away from all the craziness and well . .. to get away from Xian Pu and the others."

Ku Long sighed and took out her pipe. "That was what he intended but Dumbledore advised Happy that he was worried about certain things that are going on in the magical world. One of the greatest evils has arisen and has already begun gathering supporters among the powerful lines of Dark wizards. He seeks to regain his former powerbase and wage war on the magical and nonmagical alike. Happy and Dumbledore came to me and we discussed options. We thought it would be best to gather a strike force of martial artists and train them in magic and viceversa.

Since you were coming, we knew we'd have to send people you knew and could trust. Though it pains me to say, I know you never had any intention of marrying Xian Pu or returning to the tribe. But events went too fast and you were gifted with the Cold Dragon's blessing. And we have all- Musk, Jokuketsu and Pheonix alike- have left our homes and rejoined as one. We have created a new land, subjects under the flag of the rising sun because you, our rightful lord, have returned to us. We have waited and guarded our secrets for millenia waiting for your return."

"But did you have to bring Shampoo and Mouse?" Ranma asked in a pained voice. "You know they'll just keep acting like they always have."

Ku Long chuckled. "Don't worry, Ranma. I have warned them not to interfere with you and Akane. The events of our status change has altered things somewhat. It took some time for it to sink in, but I finally got them to understand. You are Lord Ranma, our king. And Akane is your queen. I am Revered Grandmother, the most respected and feared of the Amazons. I have given my blessing to your union and no member of the tribe can object without being subjected to the Seven Tortures. As long as you do not provoke them too far, they shall restrain themselves."

"But what about the council? I mean, with Ranma already here, why did they send you? Doesn't that change the balance?" Akane asked. She had recently discovered a hidden joy in politics that matched the joy she had found in math.

Ku Long nodded. "It does, yes. But the council, no matter how foolish, will not attempt to stray too far with Haabu and Saffron both vying to control them. Even though he has his own agenda's, Haabu is a firm supporter of Ranma's, but Saffron will try to rest control of the council from him. Luckily, I placed a proxy in my stead, and no vote is final until Ranma casts his."

"Oh? Who'd you get to fill in for you?"

"Ranma's mother. She is a strict adherent to the formalities and will keep the rest in line. Even Saffron is wary of her."

Ranma shook her head, faces and names dancing in her eyes. "I don't understand none of this. I know the council votes on changes to the laws and stuff, and that I have a vote, but why's my vote so important."

"Because you are the king. You are the leader of our people and we have waited for you to lead us home for 3000 years." Ku long shook her head at the vaguely lost expression on Ranma's face. "Look, it works like this. The people choose who is on the council by holding tournaments to prove who is both stronger and wiser than others. The council studies ways in which to make our lives better. They create the laws and rules and bring them to a vote. Once they have voted, they bring the matter to the elders. You, being king, are included in this meeting. Each elder gets 1 vote. Each ruler gets 3. Your vote is worth 5, and Akane's is worth 4. There are 9 elders and 3 rulers. Haabu for the Musk, Saffron for the Pheonix, and myself for the Amazons. Although your vote is worth 5 and Akane's 4, you have the power to overrule the vote. Most votes that make it to this stage are usually formalities and there is rarely one which is worth being overruled. Though, you might wish to bring up the marriage laws next time you sit in coucil."

"Don't worry, I will." Ranma swore fervently. "So basically, what I say goes? What if I make a bad decision?"

"By definition, that is not possible. Any decision you make is a good decision."

"So if I decided to declare war on say, America? People would just say yes and start attacking them?"

"Yes. But you would not do that, would you? You were born with many gifts, Ranma. One of them is a great capacity for love and compassion. You have never in your life found anyone worth treating so poorly. You wish only to be friends with all those you meet and you simply do not understand why some people, like Akane and Xian Pu, can not get along. You see that though they were rivals for your affections, Akane could get along with the Kuonji girl. But she could not tolerate my granddaughter or the Kuno girl. Even you find it hard to be polite to either of the Kuno's at times. But living as you did with your father, you can understand how their isolation drove them to their madness. And you sympathize with them. So you can not hate them. You find them annoying, it is true, but you do not hate them."

Ranma leaned back in the high backed wooden chair. Her hand reached for Akane's and they gripped each other tightly. "I guess that's true. I don't really know how anyone could hate someone so much that they want them dead. Don't get me wrong, I don't like everyone. I mean, I really don't like Saffron and not just because of what happened to Akane. He's an arrogant, overbearing prick who thinks he's better than anyone simply because he's more powerful."

Ku Long nodded. "Many see those same traits in you, Ranma. You are arrogant and prideful. You use your skills shamelessly to riddicule those who are less powerful than you. Look at Ryoga. You tease him and insult him at nearly every turn. So what makes you different than Saffron or Haabu? It's the compassion that makes up your center. Yes, you often show nothing but contempt for those less than you, but you do so so that they shall try to improve themselves. You revel in the conflict that is brought to you by the likes of Ryoga. You were raised to fight, and at your core that is what you are. A fighter. You need battles in which to use and improve the skills you have honed. Without them, your life has no meaning.

But unlike Saffron and Haabu, you respect those who are not as skilled as you. You know that just because they aren't at your level and may never reach your level, they still have more skill than most. And you respect the dedication they have shown to gain that skill. You know that they have worked hard, as have you, to become the best they can. Their peak just isn't as high as yours and you find no fault with that. Things come too easily to Saffron and Haabu. As you know, Haabu is a skilled fighter. He is powerful and strong. But it came easily to him. It was in his blood. He was born a dragon. The same with Saffron. Saffron is not a fighter. He relies on pure power and his magical nature to win his battles. But you had to train to gain your power.

You trained for most of your life, studying and learning the arts until they became a part of you. You reached a point where you no longer had to try to learn new techniques. You had merely to see it done to have mastered it. And because of your skill and the curse, you became a dragon. Your power grew until it could no longer be contained in your human body. And that is what allowed you to change. To become what you are now. Simply put, you evolved past the restraints placed on all humans. And that evolution took the form of the Cold Dragon's Gift."

Ku Long took a long drag on the pipe, watching Ranma and Akane as she did so. Already, she could see the power growing in the girl. She doubted that it would be too long before she joined her husband in the gift of the dragon. "And because you had to earn your power through hard work and dedication, you recognize those in others and afford them the respect they are due. That is what makes you different from Haabu and Saffron. They are arrogant because they have never had to work for their power. It was just their for them to take up and use. You, on the other hand, are arrogant because you worked for the power. You earned each and every last unit of energy you have through many years of spilling your blood and sweating yourself to the point of exhaustion.

Your arrogance is a mark, a display you give to encourage others to push themselves to reach as far as they can. You want other's to become as good as you are so that you can have someone to push you to improve yourself even more. You see intuitively the danger of being so far beyond everyone else that they cannot harm you. And you know that you could give in and allow yourself to stop progressing and use your power to control those weaker than you, but if you do, you would betray everything you ever believed. All that work you did would become nothing, for you would be ignoring the central fact of a martial artist or warriors life. THE STRONG MUST PROTECT THE WEAK."

Ranma and Akane nodded. This had been drilled into both of them for as long as either could remember. "So you said you'd assemble a strike force. I'm guessing that's why you're all here then. But with each house getting two, who's the second person to teach Ravenclaw? I don't think Ryoga's able to do it by himself. He can't bring himself to touch a girl, how's he gonna train 'em?"

"I can not tell you for I do not know. I advised the council to select someone wise and knowledgeable but I do not know who was selected. I do know that Haabu will not be here, and neither will Ryuu Kumon. Ryuu is currently training with the Musk. And Haabu must remain to guard the scrolls and to keep Saffron in line. Happosai can not do it as he has no standing with the Council and the elders hate him."

"So who do we know who is both wise and knowledgeable with a good grasp of martial arts?" Ranma asked, turning to Akane.

"I have no idea. I know it's not Ukyo or Konatsu since they're off on a trip around the world together, and it can't be the Kuno's since they're idiots. Toma and Kiriin can't leave their people. Shinnosuke's memory would make it hard for him to remember what he was supposed to be teaching, though he'd get on great with Hagrid. They could spend hours talking about all the huge frightening creatures they care so much about."

"Tofu would fit, but he and Kasumi are gonna be with Hufflepuff." Ranma stated.

Ku Long raised a thin eyebrow. "You are so certain of that?"

Akane smiled and placed an arm around Ranma's shoulder. "Ranma has been right so far. He placed all of us in the right houses before the sorting hat even came close to us. We were walking to the dinning hall and he was muttering the houses under his breath. I thought it was so that he'd remember the names, but I found out that he was calling the house of the people who were being sorting seconds before the hat placed them. He didn't miss a single one and that was from outside the castle and up on the roof."

Ku Long smiled. "I am impressed. Your skill is growing. To feel the auras of strangers from such a distance is startling in itself, but to feel such fine distinctions of personality as the sorting hat uses is amazing." She shook her head, tapped out the pipe, and leaped back to the top of her staff, which had remained upright during their half-hour discussion. "I simply came to advise you not to worry about Shampoo or Mouse. They will behave. And the tribes are in good hands. Haabu and your mother will keep things from deteriorating. No one will declare war and everything will be calm. I also wanted to remind you that though I am tied to Slytherin, much has changed since the last time I was here. There are still a few innocents in that house and I will do my best to see that they do not become as corrupt as the others."

Ranma nodded. "I would expect no less from you, Ku Long. I trust you."

Akane mimicked Ranma. "I do too, Ku Long. It's Xian Pu and Mu Tsu that I don't trust."

Ku Long bowed on her staff. "I would ask no more and expect no less. Goodnight, my lord, my lady."

"Goodnight, Revered Grandmother." the two followed her to the door. "Er, just one last thing." Ranma stated nervously.

Ku Long turned back to look over her shoulder at them. "Yes, my lord?"

"Could you keep the lord and lady stuff to yourself? And don't mention the dragon thing either? I'd like to keep a few surprises to ourselves. There are people here we can't trust, and even those we might trust could be tortured or something."

"I will tell no one." Ku Long vowed. "And I will stress it to Mouse and Shampoo as well. Though they might have already let something slip. I have not seen them since they joined the tables. I had my own quarters in the teachers wing to prepare." Without a further word, she started hopping away.

Akane dropped an arm on Ranma's shoulder, giving her a own armed hug. Ranma relaxed at the contact, as she always did. They turned back into their room, enjoying the warmth of the fire. After Ku Long's news, neither was in the mood for further study.

"What do you want to do? I don't want to look at the books anymore tonight." Ranma said.

Akane softened her features. She leaned next to her wife's ear. "Let's get ready for bed." she whispered huskily, pulling the redhead into her arms.

Ranma purred and reached up to kiss Akane. "Sounds good to me." They kissed again, Akane lifting the smaller girl and moving to the bathroom.

Harry and Ron were startled awake by an exasperated Hermione lifting away their blankets to expose them to the chill of the morning. The sounds of their startled exclamations due to the sudden cold woke their fellow bunkmates. Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan, and Neville Longbottom protested loudly at the appearance of a girl in their private chamber. Hermione silenced them with a sharp glance and pointed her wand at her friends.

"We told Ranma and Akane that we'd meet them in the dinning hall early today. Akane's sister and her husband are supposed to arrive this morning before breakfast on a special train. Hagrid is going to be bringing them to the castle."

Harry sleepily put on his glasses, rubbing his eyes as he did. His hair was still as messy as always. He glanced from the agitated Hermione to the sleepy Ron and sheepishly grinned. "I forgot. Ron and I were up late playing chess. I nearly beat him."

Ron snorted. "Hah. I let you get that close." Ron swung his feet out of bed. "We're up now, Hermione, but could you please wait in the common room? Or do you want to watch us get dressed?"

Hermione blushed as she realised that she was alone in the room with five boys in their sleep wear. "I'll meet you in the common room." She turned and fled from the room.

"Nice Ron." Harry stated as Ron started changing into his clothes. Harry got out of bed and started changing him self.

"Oy! You all gonna be meeting Ranma and Akane's family? Think they'd mind if we came?" Seamus asked from his bed.

Ron and Harry looked at each other and shrugged. "Don't see why they would. Mind you, I don't think it's a good idea if all of Gryffindor goes to meet them. Just us and Hermione, I think. They'll be Hufflepuff, most likely. Or so Ranma told us."

Dean was already out of bed and pulling on a pair of trousers. "I think the others can wait until our class. Hey, if they're here today, does that mean that we'll start with their classes?"

Harry shrugged, placing his robes over his shoulders and hiding his wand in it's special sleeve. "Dumbledore said that their classes would only start tomorrow. Though I'm pretty sure the Ravenclaw and Slytherin will be starting their martial arts classes today like we did yesterday. Why do you ask, Dean?"

Dean chuckled. "If we don't start them today, we'll be having a free class right before lunch."

The others chuckled as they finished dressing. There was a bit of a scramble, as Ron's wand had lost it's tip, but they found it among the twigs and leaves of Trevor, Neville's frog, cage. Ron grumbled as he tapped it together, muttering at the unfairness of it all. Harry decided that he knew what Ron's gift for Christmas would be and made a note to stop in at the shop in Hogsmeade during the scheduled visit in October. It was time Ron got a new wand that actually suited him and not a second hand one.

The five boys met the impatient Hermione who was stamping her foot and frowning as they appeared.

"Are you all coming?" she asked icily.

"Yes Hermione. Thought we'd get a sneak peek at our new teachers." Neville stated. Neville had become a little more assertive since his first two years and now was usually among the first to stand up for his fellow Gryffindor.

"Oh very well. Let's go then. Ranma and Akane are probably wondering where we are." The six walked out of the Gryffindor common room and towards the moving stairs. They reached the dinning hall and entered, stopping in amazement.

They blinked as one and could only stare in amazement as the spectacle before them. Akane was sitting at the Gryffindor table, calmly drinking some tea. She was wearing a different dress from the day before and had a text they couldn't make out before her. This meant nothing really, except for her general calmness, which was a stark contrast to what was happening in the space between the student tables and the teacher's head table.

Ranma, in his male form today, was standing still as the boy they recognized as Ryoga was getting up from the flip Ranma had performed. The fanged boy was grinning wildly and started forward as soon as his feet found purchase in the floor. He threw a leading punch with his left hand that looked sure to crush Ranma's jaw. Ranma however, had different plans, as he calmly and effortlessly moved his head to his left, letting the punch fly past his ear mere centimeters from making contact.

Ranma's hands flashed. He grabbed Ryoga's elbow with his right and his left struck a palm strike to Ryoga's rock hard stomach. He used Ryoga's momentum and turned to his right, allowing his body to guide Ryoga's force into a throw. He pushed up with his left hand on the stomach while pulling down with his right on the elbow. As Ryoga was lifted over his head, he released the elbow, allowing Ryoga's own momentum to direct his flight.

Ryoga flew throug the air upside down before gaining control. He tucked into a ball and allowed his feet to make contact with the wall, nearly thirty feet from where Ranma stood. He bent his knees to absorb the impact and reverse his momentum, shooting towards Ranma even faster than his charge. As he neared Ranma, he feinted with a left right combo, before swinging with a snap kick that hit Ranma's chin, lifting him off his feet and over backwards. His body spun in the air from his kick. His momentum killed by the kick, he planted his hands in a handspring, flipping to his feet and connecting a solid right to Ranma's spine, sending him to slam into a column jutting out from the wall.

Ranma hit hard, catching the full impact of the column on his ribs. He bounced off the column slightly and slammed into the ground before he could right himself. He rolled to his back and kicked up to his feet, going into a forward roll to dodge another kick that would have taken a lesser man's head clear off. He came to his feet again and leaped up and back, planting his hand on Ryoga's head to shove him into the wall face first. Ranma landed on his feet lightly and waited.

Ryoga's head had been pushed hard enough to plant his face into the stone of the wall. If it hadn't been for the breaking point training, his face would have been completely shattered by the impact. He pulled his face out of the rock and shook his head to clear the dust. He turned to face his rival again. His usual singlemindedness left him and he noticed the others standing near Akane.

"Er, that's it for today, Ranma." he said nodding to the others.

Ranma had not noticed the arrivals, but at Ryoga's words, his senses expanded and he recognized the auras near his wife. "We can spar some more tonight, after supper."

Ryoga nodded and wiped a bit more of the dust from his clothes. He had awoken that morning and dressed carefully. He had followed what he had been shown as the route to the dinning hall, not getting lost once along the way. He hadn't understood it, as he had not gone that far without getting lost at least once since he was five. On the way, he had occassionaly felt an odd tugging that ended quickly, leaving him with a feeling similar to that of a weak shock.

He followed Ranma down to the table, glancing at his watch. He noticed that the train was supposed to arrive in a few minutes and that breakfast started in about half an hour. "Hey, we'd better hurry if we want to meet the train." He reminded Ranma.

Ranma wiped his face with a towel he had brough wich he handed to Ryoga who did the same. "We have time. We'll jog down." He gestured to the six students who had joined them at the table. "These are some of the people I was telling you about. Harry's the one with the scar, Ron has the orange hair, and Hermione's the girl. The other three are Dean, Seamus and Neville." He nodded to each as he introduced them. "Gang, this is Ryoga Hibiki. He'll be trying to teach the Ravenclaw something like what Akane and me will be teaching you."

Ryoga snorted but gave a fanged smile to the timid students. It didn't help that he towered over most of them and was easily twice their size in terms of mass. Although, Neville and Seamus were a little on the portly side, Ryoga was a solid mass of muscle. "It's good to meet you all. Ignore Ranma. He's an idiot. I'll have the Ravenclaws beating you any day of the week."

Ranma chortled. "Is that a challenge? Say, last week, your best student against mine? Hey yeah! That's it. We have a tournament at the end of the year. The three best students from each of the houses will fight in the tournament."

Akane finally looked up. "That's a great idea, Ranma! But we'll need to think of something for the winner to win."

Ranma shook his head. "We can write to the council and request something out of the treasury. A bracelet or necklace or something."

Akane smiled wide, flashing her teeth. "Since this is a school for magic, maybe even one of the lesser magical amulets. Maybe an amulet of protection or bracelet of detection. Something like that."

Ranma lifted and kissed his wife. "I'll go talk to Dumbledore. The rest of you can meet Tofu and Kasumi. Find out what they think. You know how to get Tofu to agree." He gave his wife a sly look. She giggled and turned to gather her books.

Ranma moved to exit through the teachers door as the others left through the main entrance. He paused to watch as the damage he and Ryoga had done was cleared and repaired by a strange looking creature he had been told was a house elf. He ignored the elf and made his way to the teachers lounge. Though he was teaching, he was also a student so when he reached the door, he knocked.

The door was opened by Madam Hootch, the broomstick instructor. He smiled and bowed at her and she smiled down at him. "Ah, Mr. Saotome. How are you today?"

"I am well, professor. I was wondering if I could address the headmaster? There is something I would like to have his consideration on."

Madam Hootch moved aside and gestured him in. "Of course, Mr. Saotome. Though you are in certain classes here, you have been afforded the rights of other teachers. Please feel free to enter the lounge at anytime you or your wife have need to do so."

Ranma bowed again and entered the large room. Taking a quick glance, he noticed that the room was almost divided into sections representing each of the teachers. He could see that each section was decorated to suit the tastes of the person who habitually occupied it. He could see the large plants of Madam Sprouts in the far corner, facing the open window. Opposite her was a dark corner, with a bubbling cauldron and test tubes which he guessed was Professor Snape's. Professor Flitwick's section was filled with books and assorted knick knacks. He didn't recognize the woman seated in the padded chair reading a scroll, but from what he had heard, she must be Madam Pomfrey. She was idly chatting with what had to be a ghost. Most of the teachers were not here, but there were a few.

"Er. Is the headmaster here?" Ranma asked, finishing his surveyal of the chamber.

Madam Hootch shook her head. She had a strong voice that lent itself well to being heard outdoors during their classes. "No. Dumbledore rarely appears here in the mornings. He usually takes a bit of tea around this time with Minerva." Seeing Ranma's blank look, she gave a kind smile. "That's Professor McGonagal. I know it's a strange situation you find yourself in, Ranma. You and your peers are neither students, yet nor are you full professors. It is bound to create a few confusions here and there."

"You will find, I am sure, that outside of class, most of your professors will treat you as equals. We do not often discuss our students with each other, and when we do, only in the most general of ways. We are here to help you. I know that Dumbledore would like to add your class to the general curiculum every year. As long as you are properly respectful in class, we will not be offended by your being more familiar outside of it."

Ranma grinned. "Sure. That's kind of you all, but I know a few would prefer not to have to deal with us at all." He threw a short glance at the corner he recognized as belonging to Snape.

Madam Hootch mirrored his grin and his glance. "Yes, well some of us do not follow the news from your part of the world as closely as we should. Many of us have heard of your battles with the Pheonix King Saffron and the Musk Prince Haabu. And of how they are now your loyal subjects." She stressed the final word and Ranma gave a grimace. "Don't worry about it so much, Ranma. May I call you Ranma?" she was well studied in the Japanese traditions, having once played professionally for a Quidditch team based out of Japan, a fact almost unnoticed by most of the students who attended school. Receiving his nod, she continued. "You'll find that few here care about your status outside the bounds of the school. Most of the students have no idea that there is a new island country off the coast of Japan. Or that it was built on islands that were raised out of the sea by the joint effort of the only people who have dragon blood in their veins."

Ranma twiddled his pigtail, blushing slightly. "So you, ah, know it all, huh?"

"Well, not all, but certain more than any but Albus and Minerva." She smiled. "I have always had an interest in the East, and in Japan in particular. I keep a close watch on events there. In fact, my off year home is in Japan, near Hokkaido."

"I guess, it can wait. I just had an idea, about the exam thing he was asking about. We thought it might be a good idea to hold a tournament at the end of the year. I don't want to get into it too much now, without getting approval for it, but it would mean the best of each house would meet and that a prize would go to the winner. Nothing too dangerous, nothing like the fights Ryoga and I have, but a normal match point tournaments with rules and safety gear on. Sort of like they have at the Olympics. Ah, do wizards know about stuff like that?"

Hootch squeezed Ranma's shoulder, marveling at the strength she felt in his lithe form. "A large number of us do know about the high points of Muggle life. But some families only follow them in order to further convince themselves how much better they are."

Ranma nodded. "I know. I've met a lot of people like that. Any way, I'd better get to the front hall, I want to greet Kasumi and the doc."

"Still so formal with your brother-in-law?"

"Er, no, but it's more comfortable for us to call him Dr. Tofu. I don't think I'd be able to call you by your name and I know I'd never be able to go up to the headmaster and call him Albus." Ranma thought for a moment. "He was Akane's doctor since she was a little kid and he's helped us so much that it seems . . .ungrateful or disrespectful to call him just Tofu."

"I hope that in time you will understand that will not always be so. In time you will reach a point where you will feel comfortable refering to your peers by their names. At least, among the western world. I can understand your reluctance due to your background, but here in the west, things are much less formal. But, as you said, we can discuss this anytime. Go and meet your family. I will see you in class."

Ranma bowed to her and left, almost bouncing. Madam Hootch shook her head as she took her seat and finished her tea. How she envied the young their energy.


	5. Section 5

Akane waited impatiently as the train pulled into the station in Hogsmeade. She had ignored the city so far, her only concern being the arrival of her sister and brother-in-law. She had at one time wished to marry Tofu herself, until the arrival of a small redhaired girl into her house one rainy day. From that day on her life had been turned on its ear. And she would not have it any other way.

She was straining to try and catch a glimpse of Kasumi coming off the train. She noticed Tofu exit first, and watched as he reached up to help his wife off the train. She waved wildly to her sister, who glanced up and smiled widely at seeing her pumping her arms in the air. Kasumi gave a soft wave and turned to direct Tofu's attention towards the crowd waiting for them.

Tofu looked towards them and gave a smile and wave of his own, the bright rising sun reflecting off his glasses. He turned back to Kasumi and gestured for her to precede him towards them. They watched as Kasumi kissed his cheek and started gliding towards them while he turned to deal with their luggage.

Akane ran forward to meet her sister halfway, unable to restrain herself further. She threw her arms around Kasumi, easily lifting her taller sister off the ground. She and Ranma had not seen either since they had left Nerima for the last time six weeks before. They had talked on the phone a few times, but Ranma and her had been busy with building their home on the new islands that Ranma and Haabu had raised from the ocean floor.

"It's so good to see you, Kasumi! It's been weeks. Tell me all about what's happened. Was the ride okay?" Akane's words tumbled over themselves in Japanese so fast the translation spell was audibly delayed in its function, allowing the others to notice for the first time how it worked. The others had followed Akane more sedately and Kasumi smiled at them from the added height of Akane's hug.

"Who are your friends, imoutochan?" Kasumi gasped, well used to her sister's chest crushing hugs.

Akane realized by the sound of Kasumi's voice what was happening and lowered her to the ground gently. "Sorry, oneechan. I've missed you." Kasumi gave Akane a gentle hug. "These are some new friends of ours. They're in the Gryffindor house with me and Ranma. They're all in their fifth year here. The red haired boy is Ron Weasley. His entire family has been in Gryffindor or Hufflepuff for several generations. The boys standing in the back are Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnigan and Neville Longbottom. The girl is Hermione Granger, she's the first witch in the family. The boy with the scar is Harry Potter. He's something like a minor celebrity in the wizard community, almost like Ranma is with martial artists."

Kasumi bowed to the group, who clumsily tried to copy her graceful movements. "It's a pleasure to meet you all. I look forward to the classes we shall have together. My husband and I will be teaching here, the Accupuncture and Pressure Points course as well as the Healing Herbs course."

"Will we have class today?" asked Dean, ever eager to get out of any course. Fred and George were certain that he'd be one of their main customers for their Skiving Snackboxes, but they also knew that they'd have to be careful with how much they sold him, for he'd use them to get out of every class.

Kasumi shook her head. "Not today. Classes will start tomorrow. Today, we will be settling into our chambers and meeting the members of our new house. Whichever it will be."

Seamus spoke up, not one to be left out. "Ranma says you'll be Hufflepuff. It's the one without any teachers. Slytherin got those chinese ones, and Ravenclaw got that Ryoga bloke. And of course, we have Ranma and Akane here. He was saying yesterday that he felt the two of you were best fit with Hufflepuff."

Kasumi smiled politely, enjoying the strong Irish accent in Seamus' voice. She understood english much better than Akane and Ranma and would have no need to have the translation spell cast on her. Tofu was the same, having studied the language during his sabbatical. He had started helping her with her english, and her chinese. "If Ranma thinks that is where we will be posted, than I do not doubt that he is correct. He has a wonderful grasp of the subleties of human nature. Its the obviousness that he has problems with." She studied them again. "I am looking forward to our stay here. No one outside my family has ever asked for me to teach them before and I look forward to the challenge. Tofu is a more accomplished teacher, due to his training and background."

"I'm sure you've had more experience at it than some of the teachers we've had, Sensei." Harry stated confidently.

"Spot on, Harry. Remember Gilderoy Lockhart? Bloody coward phoney tried to teach us about Defense when all he could do was work a right nasty memory charm." Ron stated with contempt.

"Don't forget that Professor Quirrell was under You-Know-Who's control." Dean added. "And though Lupin was good, he was a bloody werewolf."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other and spoke in unison. "Professor Trelawney." The five boys broke out in laughter, while Hermione frowned. Akane had yet to meet the Divination teacher, and Kasumi hadn't met any of the others. Tofu joined them, after arranging the baggage with Hagrid's help. He slid in next to Kasumi on silent feet, nearly passing unnoticed even by those standing across from him.

"Hello." he said in greeting, giving Akane a smile and nod. "I am Ono Tofu, or as they say here, Tofu Ono. As I understand it, my wife and I shall be teaching you some accupuncture and herbology."

"Aye, tis true, Sensei." Seamus stated. "Though Ranma Sensei thinks you'll be in Hufflepuff. 'e said somethin' 'bout you teachin' 'em akkedoo and juudough. 'e thought it would suit 'em better 'den what he'll be teaching us."

Tofu hemmed for a moment. "I see. We'll if that's what Ranma thinks is best for them, then I'll go along with his assesment. Though I'm sure he also meant Tai Chi, which is another of the soft arts, as they are sometimes called."

Neville spoke up before the others. "Soft arts? What's the difference between what you teach and what Ranma does?"

The group had started walking towards the road leading up to the castle. It was about a ten minute hike from the station to the castle gates, so they had some time to get acquainted.

"The soft arts, like Tai Chi Chuan and Akido, and to a lesser degree Judo, are more concerned with redirection than assault. They were designed to use your opponents own strength against him. An accomplished master can be so good, his movements will seem accidental. In a fight, he will cause his opponent to trip, fall, slip, and tumble in such a way that neither his opponent nor any watchers will think he did anything. It will simply seem like the attacker is tripping over his own feet.

The hard arts, what Ranma usually practices, are more direct. They involve a lot of punching and kicking. Ranma's particular style is very acrobatic, with a lot of jumping and spinning punches and kicks. The soft arts are more grappling, with throws and moves designed to get your opponent to submit without either of you being injured. With a harder style, like Kung Fu and Karate, the focus is to stop your opponent by causing them an injury that will require them to stop fighting. One of the harder styles, Thai Boxing, is particularly brutal, involving a lot of knees and elbows to sensitive soft tissues of the body. Ranma is one of the only people I know who is capable of flawlessly switching between any form or style.

He can move from a soft style like judo, which has a lot of arm grab flips and throws, and switch to Karate, which has a lot of powerful punches and thrust kicks. His real strength is his incredible agility. He can twist his body in mid air to deliver kicks from above a standing opponent. It's impossible to predict which style he will use at any given time. That is what makes him such a great martial artist. He is able to adapt to what his opponents are doing instantly, finding the weakness in whatever technique they are using and its matching counterpart in another style.

That is what he will be teaching you. He will not concentrate on any given style or form, but will teach you a little of everything so that you are familiar with them all and are able to defend yourself against them long enough for you to get a spell in."

Tofu paused and craned his neck around to look at the six Gryffindor behind him. "Unfortunately, while I rank higher than he in the styles I have mastered, I am not as accomplished a martial artist as he, or Akane. Ranma is the only person I know to have reached multiple Dan levels in more than 2 dozen different styles. Fighting comes naturally to him like breathing to the rest of us. Though he doesn't like to admit it, he is a fourth dan in kendo and fifth in naginatado. Those are weapons styles. Ranma prefers to avoid weapons unless absolutely neccessary, but he is skilled in the use of any you can think of, included both small and large firearms."

Kasumi frowned. She didn't like to be reminded of Ranma's profficiency in the use of guns. As a young girl, while on the way to the hospital to see her mother not long after Akane's birth, she and her father had been witness to a drive by shooting which resulted in the death of one of her best friends. It had been hard for her three year old mind to grasp that her friend was gone and would not be coming back ever again. Since then, though she had supressed the memory, she had avoided anything to do with the awful things, even going as far as avoiding movies which were liberally sated with their use. This had made her something of an outcast at school, though her gentle nature and friendly smile had stopped them from bothering her in the same way they bothered other students.

"Er, I dont' mean to sound stupid, but what is a dan level?" Ron asked, totaly unfamiliar with martial arts and their terms.

Akane replied, still holding her sister's hand. "Dan levels are like the magical levels. It's the martial arts version of your OWL and NEWTs. There are different types of rankings. In some styles, they use belts. Black, red, brown, yellow, green, white, and so on. In others it's dan levels, which basically means mastery. Black is the highest belt and dan is the highest rank. And even then, you can be 1st degree black belt, or 2nd and so on and you can be 1st dan up to 10th dan. Ranma is 4th dan or higher in at least 20 styles, and at least 2nd degree black belt in about 6 more."

"That sounds impressive." Hermione said during the pause after Akane's words.

"What's even more impressive is that it usually takes decades of study and practice just to get a 1st dan or 1st degree black belt. Ranma has done in ten years what others take forty or fifty to do. He's mastered so many of them while even the best struggle with getting his ranking with two or three styles."

Kasumi spoke, adding her own thoughts. "Ranma is what martial arts were created to be. He is a gentle, caring man who wishes for nothing more than to be friends with those he meets. He fights for the joy of the activity, not to beat or punish those weaker than himself. Ranma only hurts those who, by their actions and deeds, show that they deserve it. I am not a person who believes in physical punishment, but I do accept that there are some people in the world with whom it is not possible to be rational and calm. Some people are not good. I do believe that there is some good in everyone, but I do not that in some people, the good is far outweighed by their wickedness.

Ranma is the opposite of them. At his core is nothing but goodness and compassion. He wants everyone to get along. He doesn't mind the occassional fight, as his life would be empty with out them. But he doesn't like it when peole fight to hurt others or to control others." Kasumi looked up at the gates of Hogwart's grounds came into view. "Oh. We're here already." she said, cutting off the conversation. She and Tofu followed Akane and the Gryffindor's into the castle, passing their luggage in the hall.

They came to a set of huge double doors and waited patiently. The doors opened and they entered the dinning hall.

The conversations in the dining hall came to a sudden end as the large doors opened. Everyone had come early, hoping to get a sneak peek of the latest arrivals. Hufflepuff table was especially jumpy as they expected the new arrivals to be assigned to their house. The Slytherin table was looking rather bored, those who had shown up. Breakfast was not due to start until 7 and it was only 640. Everyone watched in silence as Akane led the small procession into the hall. She and the other Gryffindor's stopped at their seats, quickly taking them and gesturing for the others to continue. Akane hugged Kasumi again and gave a warm smile and hug to her brother-in-law. The two smiled as she took her seat next to Neville. Ranma had not met them at the train and she suspected he was still going over details of the tournament with Dumbledore and the other teachers. Kasumi and Tofu continued to walk up to the teachers table, where they were greeted by a slightly flushed Minerva McGonagal, who had had to hurry to make it to the dining hall in time to greet them.

She bowed slightly to the two, slightly awed the serenity and love they projected. She held the sorting hat up and spoke. "Greetings and welcome to Hogwarts. The headmaster and the others shall be here in a few minutes. Your brother in law had an idea he wished to gain permission to expand. Please, if you will kindly take a seat on the stool, here, we can finish the sorting and get you a nice warm breakfast."

Kasumi and Tofu returned her bow, going deeper than she had to show her their respect. They could both feel the love she had for the school and it's students and also the slight thread of worry she struggled to hide. Kasumi moved to the stool and sat, not at all put out by the odd request. The dirty rumpled hat was placed on her head. It sat there for a moment, and Kasumi wondered what was supposed to happen.

"Not to worry, young one. It's been a long time since I've sat on the head of a mind so free of malice and anger." The voice echoed in her ear, slightly surprising to the young woman, who was not used to magical artifacts speaking to her. Things like this usually happened to her sister and brother. "You have a very gentle soul, Ono-san. It is indeed a pleasure to assign you to : HUFFLEPUFF!" the hat cried the last word out loud, causing the Hufflepuff table to erupt in cheers.

Kasumi carefully removed the hat and stood. "Thank you Mr. Hat. It was nice of you to speak to me." She handed the hat back to McGonagal and stepped down the step to give her husband's hand a squeeze.

Tofu took his place on the stool and removed his glasses, taking out a hanky to clean them. The hat was placed on his head and sorted his memories. He could dimly feel the hat shifting his memory around. He could feel the hat's amusement at his noticing the intrusion and put his glasses on with a grin.

"Well, you're suited to any of the houses, but I'll go with the flow and put you with your wife. HUFFLEPUFF!" Tofu took off the hat, and dusted it a bit on his sleeve. He handed it to the older woman and bowed to both before again joining his wife.

McGonagal spoke to them, allowing her voice to carry to the students. "With that done, you have a choice of seating with the students or with the teachers."

Kasumi and Tofu glanced at each other and nodded. They turned back to the professor. "For today, we will sit with the others in our house. But we will be honored to join the teachers tomorrow."

McGonagal gave another rare smile. "A fair compromise. Your classes will begin tomorrow. You have all of today to get to know your way around the school and to spend some time getting to know your students. Your bags are in your quarters in the Hufflepuff tower. I am sure any of the house can guide you there before getting to their first class." She gave the tables a stern look, reminding them that it was a school and they did have classes to attend. The large doors opened and the rest of Slytherin strolled in, ignoring everyone else and taking their seats as the clock chimes rang 7. McGonagal bowed to Tofu and Kasumi, who returned the gesture and walked over to join the house they were now part of. McGonagal watched with a sense of pride.

She had been in Gryffindor herself, but she had great respect for the gentler and calmer members of Hufflepuff. She turned to the head table and took her seat, waiting as the other teachers started arriving. She gave the Umbridge woman a grimace of distaste. The woman had already interfered in two of her classes to the 7th year and 6th years the day before. She had a bad feeling everytime she saw the woman. The door to the right of the table opened and Dumbledore walked in, followed by Ranma Saotome. She was greatly impressed already with the young man's presence. Among all those at Hogwarts, she was the closest to Dumbledore. Most were in awe of him, including the other teachers. He had taught many of them himself, when they had been students here. Only Hagrid and, to a lesser extent, Harry Potter knew the more relaxed side of the ancient wizard.

From the large grin on Ranma's face, she realized that he must have convinced the others to go with his idea of a tournament. And in truth, she had no objections herself. For a course such as his, there was no set exam that would work. A tournament like the one he had proposed to them in Dumbledore's office had some merrit. It would push the students of each house to do their best at a class some might otherwise loaf in. And the physical activity would also keep their minds occupied, which should keep most of them out of mischief.

She saw Ranma shake his head as he looked into the crowd and realized that he was taking the seat to Dumbledore's right. That seat was usually occupied by Professor Flitwick, but it seems he had graciously concented to allow Ranma to appropriate his place. It confused her for a moment until she remembered that Ranma and the other's had been afforded the right to sit at the head table and that Ranma's head shake must have been in return to Akane's request for him to join her at the Gryffindor table. She leaned forward to speak to Dumbledore, but his eyes slid to hers and he gave a nearly invisible shake of his head. She understood that he didn't want to mention what he had discussed with the powerful young man.

The meal progressed typically for a breakfast, people being less alert in the early morning than at the evening and luncheon meals. A few scattered owls flew through the openings and dropped the occasional letter or package for students. The Hufflepuff table was the most boisterous of the four, as they were eager to get to know the newest arrivals. The Gryffindor table was much more silent than usual, though some of the older students would move over to question Akane and the others she had entered with about her sister and brother in law. Akane politely refused to answer the questions, stating she'd talk about it later, either during their class, or after supper. Besides, she said. Everyone would know everything about them by the end of the next day, as they had a class with them the next day. At least, the three older grades did. That ended the interrogation, but every one was still eager to meet the couple.

Harry grinned as he and Ron took their seats in Transfigurations. Hermione took the seat ahead of them, slightly surprised when Neville sat next to her. The poor young man was usually so nervous in class that you could almost count on his messing up his spells. Only Seamus was as generally incompetent as Neville. Perhaps, she thought, Neville was taking the seat next to her in order to try and see how she managed to keep so far ahead of most of the others. She decided she would do her best to help him, especially after seeing what had been done to his parents by the evil Death Eaters.

The class was interesting. This would be the first year where they would be attempting human transformation, but only in the later part of the course. They would be starting with cats and dogs, this year. Harry and Ron were worried about the later part, but Hermione was looking forward to it. She expected that she and Harry would probably do well at that section, while Neville and Seamus would end up hurting themselves.

The class passed uneventfully. The only mildly interesting bit was when Neville's frog Trevor was chased around the room by her cat Crookshanks. She sighed while Ron and Harry degraded her cat, but she remained loyal to the animal that had chosen her. She took a minute to carry her little friend back to the dorms, passing Ranma and Akane, who were conversing too rapidly for the translation spell to keep up. She gave them a smile as she left, eager to join her classmates at Hagrid's hut. She wondered what magical creatures the half-giant gameskeeper would have them study this year.

She managed to catch Ron and Harry, who had waited for her at the door leading to Hagrid's hut and the Dark Forest. They walked silently, just enjoying the beautiful day and each other's company. The three had survived through a lot of difficult times together, and were comfortable being around each other without having to fill the air with meaningless chitchat. If they thought of something worth discussing, they did, but mostly, they just enjoying being around each other.

As they neared the hut, they spotted a small group of Gryffindor students talking with some Ravenclaws. Hermione noticed that the Ravenclaws looked even more tired now, than they had during their transfiguration course. Some of them were moving very slowly and others seemed to be moving in short jerking motions, as though they had to fight to move every inch.

"What do you think is going on with the Ravenclaws?" Hermione asked her friends, once they were past the group.

Ron grinned. "It's that Ryoga bloke's fault, Hermione. Seems he didn't like what he saw last night and he has some of them wearing leg and ankle weights in order to make them stronger. A few even have weighted shirts and pants."

Harry's grin matched Ron's. "What a shame. Though, if it works, their Quidditch team will be much better by the end of the season."

Hermione sighed. "Why does everything we discuss somehow get turned to Quidditch?" she asked the air, ignoring the looks Ron and Harry gave her. They joined the rest of the class near the corral where Hagrid was standing.

Hagrid spotted them near the back and shooed some of the students away so that they could get nearer the fence. "Right now. Everyone 'ere?" he asked, slowly scanning the crowd. "Good. Now, this year, we've got a right special beast to study. The younger's be studying and raising some firehounds. They've been badly shoed up by people scared o' dem. But they's basically 'armless. Don't like meat much. Dey's much rather eat the embers and ash left after a fire."

Hermione raised her hand by habit, lowering it sheepishly at Hagrid's surprised expression.

"Yes, Hermione, what is it?" the fierce looking man asked.

"I was just going to ask if it's true that a grown firehound can travel by smoke." she asked as the other students stared at her.

"Aye, 'tis true that. Firehounds have their own way of travelling by smoke. A much different way than the Floo system that som' o' ya' might be familiar wit'." Hagrid gave a broad wink to Harry, who blushed slightly at the reminder of his first adventure in that means of transportation. "They can walk on the smoke like it wer' solid ground. But we ain't gonna worry none about that now. That's for the lower grades. You's 're now in 5th year, and more experienced than many, so I found us a special beast for the course."

"What is it, Hagrid?" Harry asked, beating Hermione and the others to the question.

Hagrid tweaked his large nose and winked slowly. "It ain't 'ere right now, Harry. 'Tis year, we'll be goin' into the forest to catch one."

The class was shocked. What could they be studying that they needed to catch by going into the Dark Forest?

Hermione and the boys looked at each other. "What are we going to be catching then, Hagrid?" She asked, a faint note of distaste in her voice.

"Well, fer this year, I though it might be best to stick to something safe. So, we'll be catching a unicorn." Hagrid raised one massive hand as the class started chattering to each other. "And so ya's know, we're gettin' a specific unicorn. I asked 'im to help out this year, what with all the troubles last couple of year's and he agreed." He again looked around at the gathered students. "Ya'll got yer wands? Good. Today's lesson is going to be tracking. Cornelius, that's the fello's name, he left 'ere this morning. He headed into the forest. Your job this week is to track him. I'll be teaching you how to read his tracks and how his are different from other unicorns. This way, if you ever have to track a wild, dangerous animal, you'll be able to tell a threstal from a unicorn and so on."

"Hagrid, how are we supposed to learn how to track him?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid pointed at the ground of the corral. "By following his footprints, mainly. Today, we'll be making a casting of his prints that you're to study. At the end of the week, I'll show you prints from a half dozen or so different animals and you'll need to identify Cornelius' prints from the others. Only those that pass this part, will get to the next. If all goes well, by the end of the month, we'll have Cornelius back in this corral here, and we'll begin studying unicorn habits and their magic. Now, I have to warn you, unicorn's are tricky beasts.

They aint fond o' humans. They're attracted to purity, and they prefer girls to boys. I suspect the girl's have a better chance of catching him than the boy's. All the houses are going after 'im. Ravenclaw's and Gryffindor's starting now and Slytherin and Hufflepuff's starting this afternoon. I want you to group up in 3's and 4's. In house only. Whichever house catches him, wins 50 points. 10 bonus points to each member of a house who correctly names the other prints and such that I'll be testing on. I'm not teaching you only how to catch a unicorn, but how to track and identify other beasts and even people." He again gave a wink to Harry, who he knew wanted desperately to be an Auror when he finished with school.

Hagrid moved over to a covered pile and yanked on the heavy cloth drapping. Underneath were several smaller piles with large emtpy pails, some bags of powder, and a large drum of water. "Right now, we'll be making plaster for the casts." Hagrid spent the next hour teaching the class the right mixture to get a solid cast. He demonstrated by stamping his foot in the soft ground and filling the hole with the plaster. As it took some time to dry, he pulled out a cast he had prepared the day before. He showed them the grooves in the cast and how, when he put his foot over the cast, the ridges lined up perfectly with the grooves on his boot and the ridges of his boot matched the grooves in the plaster.

He explained that even someone with the same boot as he, would have a slightly different cast, as everyone walked differently and shifts in weight as someone walked would be shown in their footprints. He finished with a promise to explain more over the next few weeks, and even the most skeptical of the students begun to look forward to the course. He ended the class by having the groups find a print and fill it with their plaster. He covered each print with a small cloth to protect the plaster from any damage and marked off on a list who was working with who and which print they had selected.

Each group was given a colored and numbered stick that they marked their prints with. There were 8 groups in all, 4 with 3 people and 4 with 4 people. Of those, there were two of each with each house, 4 Gryffindor groups and 4 Ravenclaws. The colors were green, red, blue, and yellow, numbered 1 to 4. Gryffindor was given the number 1 for their colors and Ravenclaw was number 2. Hagrid explained that Slytherin would be number 3, and Hufflepuff would be 4. These colors and numbers would be the only identifying marks for all projects that year. Only the members of a group and Hagrid himself would know which color belonged to which group.

Every one was excited as they started towards the Gryffindor tower to clean up. They had about a half hour before the start of the next class to finish cleaning and in the case of the occasional student, to change. Dean, Seamus and Neville were covered nearly head to toe in drying plaster. Luckily, it would wash out easily enough. It was Lavender and Padma who reminded them that they had the accupuncture course next, and as it was only starting the next day meaning they had a free period in which to study or play before lunch. Hermione brightened and suggested that they all meet in the common room and do some revision for the History course they had after lunch. Her suggestion was met with grim statements that for once, she was right. After all, Professor Binn was noted for grilling students on the first day back.


	6. Section 6

Ranma had had a great morning. He had joined Akane as she waited impatiently for him by the great doors after breakfast. She had slugged his arm for making her wait while he ate up at the teacher's table. He then explained that he had been given approval for his idea but that they would not be telling the students. The tournament would be announced around Easter, when they had a better idea of who would be taking part. That would give them time, during the Christmas break, to gather the special equipment they would need for the tournament and for the spells to be cast. The equipement would be spelled to protect the students from serious injury. It would also prevent the students from using magic themselves, since it was to be a martial arts tournament, not a magical one.

After breakfast, they had accupuncture, but that, and the healing herbs class they had later, were both free periods. They decided to go outside and get a light workout in. Akane decided to jog around the grounds, as that was still her prefered method of warming up, while Ranma decide to head up to the roof and get some meditation time. They shared a kiss as they went their separate ways, Akane reminding Ranma that they had transfiguration in an hour and warning him not to get so lost in thought as to form another wall of ice or electrical storm.

Ranma watched his wife reenter the castle and let his smile grow. He took a glance around, and spread his senses. Not feeling anyone nearby, he studied the wall of the castle. It stood on a small outcropping overlooking a vast lake. There were only 2 approches from this area, the main double gated doors, and a smaller entrance to the side. There was also a path winding up from the lake to the lowest levels of the castle. His keen eyes spotted several handholds, but with another glance, he decided to simply leap to the area he wanted.

He gathered his ki and pushed off. Anyone who had been watching would have seen him barely push, but with his ki adding to his push, he soared nearly fifty feet into the air. He gathered himself, adjusted the angle of his body, and when his feet hit the stone wall, pushed again, sending him another fifty feet higher and twenty feet to his left. He continued in this manner, pushing off the wall of a turret and the wall of the castle until he reach the highest point of the castle and redirected himself into a flipping jump to the small section of roof just below the aviary where the owls were kept.

Upon landing, he glanced around, and still seeing no one, grinned and posed like an Olympic gymnast before gathering himself and sitting in the Lotus position. He drew a large stone from his pocket and placed it in front of him. He focused on the stone and began to concentrate, his aura slowly flickering into life around him. Since he had made peace with himself, he decided not to enter the dreamworld of his subconcious, but sought out simply to center himself and absorb the new things he had been learning in the short time he had been here. He set a mental chime to sound ten minutes before the start of the next class and then focused all his energy into growing the stone.

Akane finished her short jog with ten minutes before the start of Transfiguration. She entered the castle, chuckling to herself at the powerful glow coming from a section of the roof. She realised that Ranma must have gone deeper into a meditative state than he had wanted, to release that much of his aura. She had over heard scattered questions and worried whispers while she passed others wandering the grounds enjoying their free period. Reaching the hall of staircases, she decided to move quickly and leapt from case to case, until reaching the platform leading to the Gryffindor Tower. She gave the password to the painting and entered their room. She gave herself a quick wipe down and changed back into her robes, leaving her jogging shorts and tshirt in the hamper.

She gathered her books for Transfiguration and walked out, making sure the painting swung all the way close. She spotted a group of students from her class and joined them, greeting them by name. Some of them were still a little in awe of her and Ranma, but Akane hoped that that would soon change to acceptance and respect. She had worked hard to improve her skills, and knew better than they, what would be expected of them during the martial arts training.

Always eager to make friends, Akane soon had them talking about their experiences so far. She learned that many of them had siblings that had attended Hogwarts and a few who had attended one of the other prestigious schools. She learned that each school specialised in certain material, but that Hogwarts had long been considered the most coveted school to attend.

They entered the door with a few minutes to spare. The window at the front of the class was open, and Akane sighed internally as she realized where exactly they were. Directly across from this class was the small outcropping of roof where Ranma had to have been meditating. Since his glow was gone, Akane reached out with her senses, trying to see if Ranma was already in the class, but hidden under the Umisenken. She pointedly ignored Ryoga who was trying to hide in a corner behind a text. She could feel a faint flicker of her husband's aura outside the window. She was about to go over, having set her books down at her seat when Ranma's form faded into view as he jumped through. The class made murmers of amazement, and Ranma bowed and posed. Akane wiped her face, and bopped her husband's shoulder.

"Can't you be serious for once?" she asked, her tone more playful then the words suggested.

Ranma pulled her to him and grinned. "Sure, but why bother? It's more fun to be relaxed."

They took their seats in time to smile as Professor McGonagal strode to her desk.

Harry frowned as he finished packing up his stuff. The quizz had been relatively easy for once. History was not one of his favorite subjects, but that was mainly because Professor Binn's voice tended to drone on in a monotone that made even the few interesting bits seem dull and boring. He looked up as Ron and Hermione gathered at his desk. Hermione was practically bouncing on her feet while Ron was muttering under his breath.

"Well, that was easy, right Harry? I expected Professor Binn to try something more challenging though, seeing how it's OWL year and everything." Hermione asked brightly. Harry grinned slightly at the evil look Ron shot her. "I'm really looking forward to exams! I'm certain they'll be extra hard this year."

Ron groaned and ran his hand over his face while Harry chuckled. "Hermione, that's not a good thing! I barely passed as it was, last year. This year's going to be much worse. And it's only the second day of class! Exams aren't for months yet."

"So what? Never too early to start studying." Hermione replied cheerfully. "It's a sure thing that there'll be a lot of extra homework this year."

Harry turned to say something but was interupted by a jolt through his shoulder. He turned that way and grimaced as Malfoy strode towards them, with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. His grimace turned to a sneer as he noticed the prefect badge Malfoy was wearing. "What do you want, Malfoy?"

The blonde Slytherin returned his sneer with a glare of his own. "Careful there, Potter. Show some respect for your betters, or I might have to dock Gryffindor some points."

"Go away, Malfoy." Hermione stated as she glared at the three. There were few people who made the normally calm witch seeth with anger, but Malfoy and his crew were right at the top of the list, followed closely by Snape.

"I wasn't talking to you, mudblood." Malfoy spit at her, causing Crabbe and Goyle to chuckle behind him. "I'm trying to instruct our . . . celebrity here in the way things are now."

"What do you mean, Malfoy?" Harry demanded, his scar throbbing slightly. He knew, and Malfoy knew, that Malfoy's father was one of the most loyal and dangerous of the Death Eaters.

"An old friend of yours, who happens to be a friend of my father's, gave us a message for you. Enjoy your time at Hogwarts, for it will be your last year."

Harry felt something dark rising in him. He recognized it but could barely hold it in check. "Tell this old friend, that I'll be waiting for him." Harry's hand came up to trace his scar. "Tell him not to get to used to being back, as I'll soon be sending him back to where he belongs."

Malfoy sneered at them and turned, striding away with his faithful goons following after giving the three a pair of menacing looks.

Harry stared after them, his rage building in pace with his fear.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Ron asked, placing a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Voldemort wanting to remind me that he has allies in the school, as if I'd forget about Lucius Malfoy." Harry stated grimly. His face brightened slightly. "I look forward to seeing Voldemort's face when I hit him with a ki blast."

Ron grinned. "Or when he tries the Crucio on you and its blocked by your ki shield."

Hermione joined in, not wanting to be left out. "Or instead of blocking an attack you dodge so fast it seems to go through you."

Harry snorted, his hopes deflating slightly. "Too bad Draco is getting the same training from those Chinese people. He's probably already told his father about Ranma, and you can bet Lucius doesn't keep anything from Lord Voldemort."

Ron sighed. "It was a good thought while it lasted though. Come on, lets get going. I don't want to be late to Astrology."

Hermione and Harry stared in shock at their red haired friend. "You okay Ron? You didn't take any of those pills your brothers are cooking up, did you?" Hermione asked.

Ron snorted. "Blimey, Hermione, I'm not stupid. And I'd rather not be in class, but Astrology is actually interesting. At least it's better than Divinations or Potions." He grinned. "And the faster that we get to Astrology, the faster it will be over and we have Martial Arts after that. We're starting the first kata's today."

Harry joined his friend in a smile. "Not to mention we'll get to wear those new outfits. Did you get a chance to see them yet, Hermione? They were on top of the clothes in my trunk this morning."

Hermione shrugged. "No, I woke up early to study and had to rush to dress after waking you two lugs." She looked up as they entered the staircase leading to their astrology tower classroom.


	7. Section 7

Ranma and Akane were strolling through the halls with a couple of students from their last class. They were chuckling softly at a story one of the others had told them about his older sister's first week at Hogwarts. Potions hadn't been as bad as the Defense course they'd had the previous day. They had entered the class with trepidation, knowing that Ku Long would be teaching them. They had previously had more than enough problems with potions the amazon elder had cooked up. Of course, they later learned that she had sabatoged the vast majority of the potions to minimize their effect. When they questioned her as to why she would do such a thing, her response had been to state that she had never had any intention of trying to force Ranma into a relationship with Xian Pu.

She had felt Ranma's aura that first day as he handily defeated her granddaughter. If Xian Pu hadn't been such a fool by giving the girl the Kiss of Death, she would have offered to join them on their journey so that she could aid in training the redhaired girl. When she later learned that Ranma was a guy, and that Xian Pu had given the boy the Kiss of Marriage, she had seen the opportunity to scout potential spots for the tribe, should the signs be right and they would need to leave their ancestral home.

That was behind them. They trusted Ku Long when she said she had no designs on separating them. But they were still wary of some of her training methods and in what they would be taught here at Hogwarts.

The class of 2nd years that they had joined filled in and took up seats, placing their cauldrons on the tables before them. Ranma groaned as he realized that he and Akane had not had time to purchase all the supplies they would need for a course such as this.

Akane noticed her husbands frustration and gave his hand a squeeze. She leaned over and whispered into his ear. "Don't worry, Ranma. Everything we need is here."

Ku Long hopped down from the raised area near the desk. Her ancient eyes studied the class, stopping here and there on the occassional student. She gave Ranma and Akane a wink before hopping off her staff and onto a stool. She threw the staff towards the desk, where it landed upright.

"Good morning students. My name is Ku Long. I am an elder in the tribe of Jokoketsu, or Chinese Amazons. I studied here nearly 200 years ago. I am going to be teaching you how to make a variety of potions, ranging from poison antidotes to truth serums. If any of you show any promise I might even show you potions that help increase your strength and stamina, but I doubt I'll find anyone here gifted enough to get into my advance classwork." She paused to again sweep the class with her steely gaze, her aged face seeming to be made of leather. "I will tolerate no disturbances or foolishness. We are going to be working with dangerous and potentially lethal concoctions. Anyone who does not take their work seriously will fail. Anyone who attempts to use what I will teach to harm another student will fail. I have been teaching my tribe the skills I learned here and around the world for longer than most of the people in the world have been alive."

She turned to Ranma and Akane. "I know some of you from before, but that means nothing. I will treat everyone here the same. You two, your equipment is in the cupboard to the left. I do not want to see you come to class without it again. I will forgive it this time, for I know you didn't have time to arrange all your purchases yourselves. As for the rest of you." She again passed a critical gaze over the studetns, studying the cauldrons and tools they had brought to class. "While I know Hogwarts usually has restrictions on the type of cauldron or other tools needed for my course, I will not tolerate substandard equipment. I will be inspecting each persons tools and anything I do not find up to standard will be destroyed."

There was a murmur through the class, many being worried. Most students had second hand equipment from this class, some of which were in pretty battered conditions. "Replacements will be given at no cost, thanks to a donation of funds from the Council of Elders from my homeland. They do not wish anyone to be taught using outdated or weakened equipment. Replacements for all students will include a new set of test tubes and beakers, an improved burner for heating the cauldrons, and new silver cauldrons for all students in need of them. Anything else, you will need to purchase yourself, at a reduced price, from the school supplies."

The class again began whispering to each other in astonishment. A single silver cauldron could cost as much as 20-30 galleons. Test tubes usually ran from 50-60 knuts for 5, and beakers could be as much as 5 galleons each. And a new burner could be even more expensive than a gold plated cauldron. The Elders must be really serious about this Hogwarts training to spent that much on people they didn't even know.

"Now, we'll start with a general inspection of your gear." Ku Long hopped from the stool to land on the desk nearest to her position. The rest of the class was spent with her checking each piece of equipment each student possesed. Depending on what each piece was, she would throw the rejects into one of several bins. The cauldrons could be melted down again and recast or formed into other objects, but the test tubes and beakers were useless, except for being ground up and added to ashphalt mixtures for roads and highways. The used burners were stripped and the various parts placed in bins for recycling later.

At the end, after the last student had gleefully thrown their battered brass cauldron into the pile and grabbed a shiny new silver one from the cupboard, Ku Long called for their attention. "That wasn't too bad. Now, though we didn't start anything today, I would like each of you to write down a list of five potions you might have heard of that you wish to attempt this year. The most difficult potion you pick shall be your end of year project. Love Potions, Potions of Compelment, and Death Potions are off limits, but feel free to try anything else. Starting with your next class, we will all be learning a simple Drought of Health. There are stronger and more complicated healing spells, but we will start with this one. Some of you might think it useless, as it is a weak spell, but even one this weak, is capable of saving someone with a mortal injury. I will see you all tomorrow morning." She turned as she dismissed the class, but as she reached the teachers exit, she paused. "One more thing, 5 points for each of you. And Mr. Saotome, I am deducting 15 points from you for coming to class unprepared."

Ranma grumbled as he and Akane left, now carrying their cauldrons which were filled with the rest of their Potions supplies. Akane smiled and kissed his cheek, which calmed him down. They dropped off their supplies in their room, changing into their gi's. They made their way out to the pitch where they had instructed their students to meet them, eager to begin teaching their first real lesson.

As Harry and Ron approached the field they were joined by Fred and George. Hermione and Ginny were already waiting for them at the edge of the field, looking distinctly unimpressed by something behind them. The four were curious about what could make Hermione show disdain for a class. As they finished climbing the small hill to look down into the small dip in the land, they saw immediately why the girls were so annoyed.

It was impossible to miss the toadlike body of the Ministry's spy as she lounged in a softly cushioned chair that was at odds with the various other equipment filling the bowl between a pair of small peaks. She was writing notes on a pad held in a clipboard, while occassionaly taking a sip of lemonade or fanning her sweating form with a spelled fan.

Aside from the annoying presence of 'Professor Umbridge', the ground was covered with soft mats. There was a rack of poles similar to wizards staffs, but much straighter and smoother. A display case held several swords and other weapons, including four staffs, obviously made of two different woods. The staffs in the rack were all of one type. They were about 5 feet long, and maybe two inches thick. Just about the right size for the average person to hold, Harry noted to himself. The staffs in the case differed also in their size, being somewhat longer than the ones in the racks.

"What's all this?" Fred asked Harry.

"I don't know, but it looks like we'll be learning to fight with those staffs there." He replied. "I don't know much more about martial arts than anyone else here, really. I wasn't permitted to watch movies or television with the rest of the Dursleys."

Hermione turned to the two. "Those are bo staffs. They're a basic weapon and training tool. They are usually made from the wood of a bo tree, though they can also be made of other trees. The bo wood is a springy wood, much more useful in weapon making than hard woods like pine or maple. A bo staff needs to be springy in order for you to perform certain techniques. As for the ones in the case, I can't really tell from here. Maybe Sensei will tell us."

Ron chuckled. "Why am I not surprised that Hermione knows all about this stuff."

Hermione grinned and elbowed Ron in the stomach. "Perhaps it's because before I learned I was a witch, I had been taking martial arts lessons. It's a dangerous world nowadays, and my parents wanted to know that I'd be able to protect myself if I was attacked. That's why they were so keen on my learning magic. It gives me a way to protect myself with the risk of being hurt in a fight."

"But Hermione, you can be hurt a lot in a wizarding fight." Ron stated.

She grinned again. "Yes, but my parents think a girl shouldn't be hitting people, but as a witch, I wouldn't have to hit them to protect myself."

"That makes a weird sort of sense." Ron, having sprouted several more inches during the summer was the tallest of them. It was he who first spotted their approacing senseis. "Look, here comes Ranma and Akane. What do you think they'll make of Umbridge?"

Harry grinned, amused at the thought. "I suspect they'll try to treat her with some respect, but that if she bothers them as much as you say she does the others, Fred, that they'll have it out with her. I don't think rank and authority mean much to Ranma."

Ranma and Akane came strolling over the hill, laughing about something. Ranma was wearing a gi similar to everyone else, except his was all black and had an inlaid goldren dragon woven into it. The dragon's head rested on his left pectoral, while the body wound over his left shoulder, down his back and the tail wrapped around the right side of his waist. Akane had a similar shirt, though hers was a dark yellow color and the dragon was silver. The students all had red and gold colored gis with the Hogwarts crest over their hearts and a large Gryffindor symbol on the back.

Ranma smiled to everyone as he and Akane strode to stand in the middle of the mats, close to the sealed case. He cast a short, puzzled look at the woman seated off to one side, before shrugging and turning back to the students, ignoring her. Akane allowed her frowning face to linger on the woman slightly longer, not liking her presence at all. She too shrugged and faced the class after a moment. Together they bowed to them, and were pleased to see that all the students executed neat bows of their own.

Ranma's grin reappeared on his face, causing a portion of the class to become weak at the knees. "Hello, everyone. Today is the first day of lessons. How are you all?" he asked.

"We're good, Sensei." they all said as one.

"To start with, we're going to get you all sorted by size again. Let's have rows today, going shortest to tallest. There should be about 90 of you, so lets have 9 rows of 10." The class scramble to sort themselves into the rows. Once that was done, Ranma continued. "Now there's a lot of room here, so I want us to spread out a little. Each of the end rows, I want you to go right to the edge of the mats." he watched as they did. "Now, take one sidestep, as big a one as you can manage, to the center of the mats." Again they did as he asked. "Now, I want you to hold out the arm thats nearest the center. The next rows, move out with her arm pointed out of the mats. Good. When your finger tips touch, you'll be at the right spot." Soon all nine of the rows had moved, connected by the touching fingertips. "That is the spot you will stand in for all our classes. You are now spaced pretty good. Now, for between the rows, I would like you to turn to the right, and again touch fingertips to the person next to you." They continued in this way until each student had an area of mat the distance of finger tip to fingertip in each direction.

"This is your space. You have this room in which to move and perform the katas, unless we expand that space. Today, we will commence with a few simple stances and techniques." Akane stated. She was standing to Ranma's left, away from the foul looking woman who was now staring at them owlishly. "The first stance is a basic move. Put your lead foot forward." She demonstrated by placing her left foot forward. "It doesn't have to be your left leg. Those of you who are left handed, should have your right leg forward." About a quarter of the class corrected their stances. "Point your foot straight forward. Now place your other leg about the distance of your shoulders and turn the foot to point away from you." While Akane continued to instruct the class on fine tuning the stance, including the positioning of arms, Ranma wandered among them, occassionaly guiding one into the proper position.

"Make a loose fist, Dean. You want to keep your hands loose until the last possible second, than tighten it right before contact." Ranma addressed one of Harry's bunkmates. He demonstrated by throwing a short, slow jab, tightened the fist right before it hit the imaginary foe. Though he was addressing Dean, his voice carried to all and a few other students lightened the tension in their hands. "By holding it loose like this until the last second, you always have to option of changing from a fist," he demonstrated the jab again, "to changing to a palm strike," he performed it again, this time striking with his palm, "or even grabbing hold of him for a throw." He performed it again, this time pretending to grab at his opponents shirt and pull him closer. "If you hold your fist too tight, you might not have to time to change it and that could be the difference between you hitting your opponent or your oppenent throwing you. The same goes for everything, really. You want to hold yourself loosely. Don't tense up until right before there's contact or you could hurt yourself."

Akane spoke up from where she was demonstrating the full form. "You might wonder why you would want to hit with a palm strike than a solid fist. One reason is that a palm strike can do more damage to some areas than a fist." Ranma had joined her and taking a stance opposite her. "Like this, for instance. If I wanted to break Ranma's nose, I could hit him with a fist." She demonstrated slowly, her right hand hitting Ranma's nose dead center. "This move will shatter the cartilage of a persons nose, causing a lot of pain and blood flow, but it won't stop him, unless he has a very low threshhold for pain. Now if I hit with a palm strike, " she performed the move again, this time striking Ranma's nose with her palm, "The force of the strike is pushed up into the nose, causing the cartilage to drive directly into the persons brain. Done right, this will kill the person instantly."

Ranma noted the worried glances the students were throwing each other. "We aren't teaching you this so that you'll have to use it. We're teaching you so that you'll be able to protect yourself from this type of strike. Like with magic, the only way to defend yourself from an attack is to know how to use it. If you don't know what's coming how can you stop it from hitting you?" Ranma asked. "We aren't training you to kill, or even hurt people. We are teaching you ways to defend yourself against attacks that are going to complement what you learn in your magic studies."

A snort from the side caused Ranma's head to whip around. "Can I help you?" he asked frostily.

"Mr. Saotome, is it?" the toadlike mouth twisted the words, given them a meek, girllike sound. "You can not be seriously suggesting that these . .. martial arts. would be of any use to against a wizard with any true skill."

Ranma studied the sluggish shape of the woman. "As a matter of fact, I am. Who are you any way? You're interupting my class."

The woman drew herself up in outrage. "I am Dolores Umbridge. I was sent to Hogwarts by the minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge. I am here to study the teaching methods of Hogwarts and to provide the ministry with an unbiased view of the way things are run here. The last few years, things have gotten out of control, and it is my sacred duty to make sure things go smoothly this year. Should anything untowards happen, I have it in my authority to replace any of the teachers, or even to close down the school."

Ranma snorted. "So you're a spy who was sent to make sure Dumbledore doesn't tell the students the truth about that Baltimore guy who he says came back to life last year."

Everyone gasped at Ranma's words. No one, not even those who dared say his name, would have the audacity to show so little respect for him. He might be evil, but Voldemort was one of the most accomplished mages in centuries.

Umbridge was fairly frothing at the mouth. "How dare you! I am here to counter the lies Dumbledore has been spreading regarding He-who-must-not-be-named. He is gone, and he is never coming back. Dumbledore is a dillusional old fool who has dragged people into a spell of lies to try and gain more power from the ministry."

Ranma shook his head and snorted. "Don't be an ass. Dumbledore doesn't give a damn about the ministry. His only concerns are this school and its students and deeing that they are taught well so that they can survive in the world. Just because you and your idiot boss don't believe him, doesn't mean he's lying."

Her eyes had widdened immensely at Ranma's words, giving her face an even greater likeness to a toad. "How dare you insult me in that manner! I shall bring you up before the ministry for that!"

Ranma rolled his eyes, turning his back on her. "Do whatever makes you feel good, but I don't give a damn about your ministry. They have no authority over me and mine."

Umbridge gather herself, rage evident on her face. Her wand came out and was pointed at Ranma, who continued to ignore her. The wand was trembling as the woman tried to control her rage. She started to lower it, having gained some semblance of control, when Ranma looked over his shoulder at her.

"Are you still here? I thought you'd have at least stormed off to stuff yourself in the dining hall by now. "

That was the moment she snapped. Her wand came out and was again pointed at Ranma. It was rock steady this time. "Imprecario Ingratia!" she snarled out, the childlike quality totally absent from her voice. A bolt of blue light raced towards Ranma's back, causing several students to shout in alarm while others covered their eyes.

The bolt struck an obstacle several inches before it hit Ranma's seemingly unprotected back. The bolt parted around it, causing a flash of intense light. She continued to provide energy into the bolt, as it steadily struck the shield surrounding Ranma. Ranma looked over his shoulder again, giving her a smug grin. Her face was now glowing red and sweat was dripping from her immense forehead. She screamed in rage and intensified the attack, pouring all her strength into the bolt. Ranma continued to ignore it, though he did turn to face her. All around him, the ground began to smoke as the heat began to melt the mats and even scorched the grass and earth beneath them. Eventually, the bolt stopped, as the woman was drained of her power. She stood there, swaying in the breeze, totally spent as a completely unharmed Ranma watched her. She shivered in fear at the look in his eyes.

"Dolores Umbridge, until now, you have been an annoyance. But with that attack, you have become more. You could have injured any number of the students who were standing behind me. For that, I can not forgive you. Leave. Leave my sight and do not return to bother my class. Tell your ministry what you will, but know this: Any attempt at seezing control of Hogwarts will cause me to do everything in my power to stop them. Tell them that I, Ranma Saotome of the land of Angwan, have sworn to protect Hogwarts from the bureaucracy of your foolish ministry.

If they wish to battle me for control, they are welcome to try. But warn them that should they go that route, they should not be surprised if I disband your ministry and put my own in its place. I am Ranma Saotome, King of Angwan and lord of the Three Lost Tribes and Hogwarts is under my protection. May the gods have mercy on any who attempt to harm anyone on these grounds for I will have none. Go now. You may stay at Hogwarts if you wish, but do not interfere with me again, or I shall show you what true power is."

Ranma's aura had spiked while he spoke and it was now extended several feet from his body. His eyes had gone completely silver and appeared to be burning. He had also levitated several inches off the ground, surrounding himself with the glowing blue aura. His voice was several octave deeper and had taken on a rumbling that seemed to vibrate in the listeners bones. The dragon on his shirt seemed to writhe and twist as he hung in the air, staring down at the form of the ministry's spy.

Umbridge gave a squawk as she watched Ranma float into the air and flinched as his aura flared around him. She stared into his flaming eyes, fear running through her bloated form. She wanted nothing more than to run, but she was frozen in place by those horrible eyes. She could see her death in those eyes. Despite the sweat coming from most of the pores in her body, her throat and lips felt dry. She was dimly aware of the loss of control over her bodily functions and the humiliation added to her fear, for she saw that those eyes saw her loss of control. She dropped her wand, as a flare of aura raced over it, burning it to ash within seconds. She could feel herself loosing control of the magic as her wand was incinerated.

She started to slowly backpedal, not wanting to draw anymore attention to herself. She was only dimly aware of the words the glowing figure spoke, but her subconcious latched onto them as a lifeline, burning them into the core of her soul. It was quickly too much for her to take, and she turned, breaking eye contact. She moved as quickly as she could towards the castle, wanting desperately to get as far from the godlike figure as she could. She went straight to her chambers, where she hid under her blankets, whimpering in fear while jumping at all the sounds that passed her door for three days before gathering the courage to leave.

Ranma returned to earth, his glow dimming until it vanished from the visible spectrum. He turned back to the class, who were staring at him in awe. Sheepishly, he reach back to fiddle with his pigtail while the class broke into loud applause.

"Er, enough of that now. Let's get back to work." Ranma stated, as Akane came up and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

With a proud "Hai, Sensei." Gryffindor house students returned to their stances. Having shown a simply punch, they proceeded naturally to a basic kick. The rest of the class went quickly as time tends to do when people enjoy themselves. After the class, Harry, the four Weasleys, and Hermione stuck around to wait while Ranma and Akane packed up.

"That was amazing, Ranma." Ron stated, having stuck to Ranma's previous instruction that they call him by name outside of class. "And what was that about you being a king?"

Ranma groaned. He had hoped to avoid this conversation. "I am a king, I guess. I won't go into the details of what and where, but I found out not that long ago that I was the king of an ancient people who had been scattered when our homeland was destroyed by earthquakes and volcanoes. They ended up in mainland China, where they splintered into three tribes. The Amazons, the Musk, and the Pheonix. After a few things happened about a year or so ago, they had to leave China. They were rejoined together and needed a place to call home. There are some islands just off of Japan that I purchased from the Emperor, but I had to sign a contract, making us subjects under him. It's a kind of mutual defence treaty thing. I promised to help defend Japan and to provide taxes to them, so long as they left my people alone and gave them all the right to travel through Japan as we saw fit. And we all have diplomatic immunity, as well. So if someone attacks one of them, they are able to handle it in whatever manner they deem fitting."

"Wow, real royalty." Fred and George hooted. "Gonna treat us like servants, eh Ranma?"

Ranma glared at the twins. "No. And don't treat me differently. I'm the same person."

Ginny was staring at him and Akane. "That's not why I'm impressed. That horrid woman has sat in on a few of my classes. She had Madam Sprout and Professor Trelawney crying. I hate her. I want to know how long it would take me to be able to do that glowing thing."

"Yeah, Ranma. How long you think it'll be before we won't need torches to read in our rooms at night?" George asked.

Ranma chuckled, as the mats rolled up by themselves. Dumbledore had spelled all the equipment to return to storage and to set itself up with a few simple commands. The only exception was the locked display of his and Akane's own special weapons. Those they'd have to carry to their room themselves.


	8. Section 8

STANDARD DISCLAIMER INSERTED HERE: I OWN NOTHING! I SEE NOTHING! I HEAR NOTHING! I READ NEARLY EVERYTHING!  
  
Though no one has said anything, I hereby appologise to all Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff fans. There names escaped me as I started righting this, so I skipped them. I do promise to start using some of the characters from those houses, as well as more interactions with Slytherins. I am re-reading the series in order to pick up a few Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, and hopefully some other slytherins besides Malfoy, Goyle, Crabbe, and Pansy Parkinson.  
  
I am, while also writing this in order, fleshing out who I want and how I want to do the tournament for the end of year exam in Martial Arts. If there are any suggestions as to who to use for the houses, please feels free to let me know at :shall-iin@mindless.com  
  
I will give you full credit for any suggestions that make it into the story. The same goes for any possible pairs. I'm kind of fond of Ron/Hermione and there are others I like.  
  
I do have a few ideas about Gryffindor that I think will surprise a few people. I propably shouldn't say this, but I will not have Harry as one of the three from Gryffindor to do the tournament. I have other plans for him. If anyone is able to get the three people I have in mind before I post the section that lets everyone know, I'll find someway to reward them. There are going to be hints, but not many.  
  
I will say this. The houses will need to announce their choices around Easter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Ranma groaned as he again struggled to make sense of the words on the page of his textbook. Akane had insisted that he study this evening, despite his wanting to get a sparring session with Ryoga. He had seen little of the lost boy since his arrival and he was eager to see what skills Ryoga had gained during his travels. Ryoga might not be a match for him -Akane having surpassed Ryoga's level several months before was a much closer match- but he was still one of the best martial artists in the world and one of the few people that he could hit with anything close to his full power. He never unleashed his full strength against Akane, despite her constant complaints of his coddling her. He had no desire to injure her, even by accident.  
  
While she was much improved, and could now hold her own against any of the Nerima Wrecking crew and their associates, barring the obvious exceptions of Haabu and the Amazon Elders, she was still not up to taking his full strength. Another few years of the training they had started and she might come close to his level at the time he had first gained the dragon's gift. But he had had a year as a dragon in which to grow in strength and skill and was now out of reach. If she trained very hard, in five or ten years, she might gain a gift similar to his own, and then she would be a true equal. He looked forward to that day.  
  
Deciding that he'd had enough studying for the time being, he mark his spot and closed the book. He rubbed his eyes, which were tired from the strain of reading the fine print by candlelight. He had promised Akane he would study, and he had. What did it matter that he hadn't understood any of the things he had read or that he had not read as much as he should have. His stomach added to his list of excuses by growling loudly. He looked around the room, noting the dimness of the fire. He got up and placed a few more logs into the fire, using his hand to stir the embers to a stronger glow. He wiped his dusty hand on a towel and stretched his back. Heading the call of his stomach, he decided to visit the dinning hall to see if he could get a snack.  
  
He walked out and reached the hall of moving stairs, passing the occassional Gryffindor in the halls. He looked around the large expanse, watching as students walked up and down stairs that would turn and twist from one landing to another. Shrugging, he took a step forward, falling the twenty feet to the next landing. He repeated this until he reach the ground floor, ignoring the curious glances of students from the other houses. He made his way to the dining hall, where he was not surprised to find Ryoga seated at the Ravenclaw table talking to several of his house members while having a snack of his own. The only unusual thing was that Ryoga's ever present backpack was missing.  
  
Curious, Ranma walked over to join them. He stood behind Ryoga again, waiting for his longtime foe to notice him.  
  
Ryoga paused in his story and grunted in annoyance. "Sit down, Ranma." he called, without looking, not noting the looks some of the people he was sitting with gave each other. "What do you want?"  
  
Ranma grinned. "Nothing, really. I just came to get a snack. I was trying to study but my head started to hurt, and my stomach started growling, so I came down to get a bite to eat." He reached over and pulled Ryoga's sandwich towards himself. He took a bite, before seeing the bleak look on the other boy's face. "Mind if I have this? I'm really starting to get snacky."  
  
Ryoga grunted and waved for him to finish it. He had the makings for more in front of him and he quickly prepared a couple more. He waved away the protests starting to form on the mouths of some of his housemates, not wishing to ever again see Ranma loose control when he was hungry. "So what do you think of some of these classes?"  
  
Ranma finished the sandwich and reached to pull one of the new ones Ryoga had prepared towards himself. "A lot more interesting than most of the junk at Furinken, anyway. I'm looking forward to the creatures course. Have you had it yet?"  
  
Ryoga shook his head. "Not yet. I did get to join Cologne's potions class. She seemed surprised to see me. You know, I haven't gotten lost once since I got here. I even took a chance during lunch today, skipping it to walk around the place. I was able to find every where I'd been, even when I ended up somewhere I hadn't been before. It's .. . it's very odd."  
  
Ranma paused as he finished swallowing the last piece of his second sandwich. Now that the edge was off his hunger, he could think a little. "You should stop by the teacher's lounge and ask them it there's something about this place that's stopping you from getting lost. We're allowed to go since we are teaching a class. Have you notice anything odd like something was forcing you to stay in the direction you were going?"  
  
Ryoga frowned as he thought. "There's this odd feeling I get every few feet, like someone was giving me a shock. You know, like when you lick a 9volt batery, or drag your feet on a carpet and touch a piece of metal."  
  
"I don't know what it means, but it seems that's what's keeping you from getting lost. Maybe the shock is a feeling of being shoved back from where ever it is you go when you get lost." Ranma had pulled the bread and toppings to himself. He used his natural speed to prepare a half dozen sandwiches for himself and then added another two which he slid back to Ryoga.  
  
"I'll do that. So why were you sitting up at the table today?"  
  
Ranma frowned, glancing at the Ravenclaw students sitting all around them. Some of them were reading from books and writing notes on parchment. Others were playing various card and boardgames. But most were watching he and Ryoga. "I'll tell you later. Just a thought I had about the martial arts classes."  
  
Ryoga nodded. He finished the first of the sandwiches Ranma had passed him. He paused, noting the after taste of ham. Shaking his head, he bit into the second sandwich. "Fine. I have a martial arts class and a study hall tomorrow afternoon. I heard from one of the girls who has a boyfriend in your house that you have a double study hall tomorrow at the same times. Why don't we meet at the main doors? We'll go for a run and you can tell me about it."  
  
Ranma thought for a moment. "I'll ask Akane. I think she'd rather I put some real effort into learning this magic stuff, but she'll also want time to spend with Kasumi and Tofu. And she'll likely think we'll take the chance to spar again and she's always eager to see you get the crap beat out of you."  
  
Ryoga snorted. "It's my fault, though. I see that now. So we're on? We'll meet at the doors tomorrow at about 430? Take a run around and study the grounds, maybe have a quick fight?"  
  
"Fine with me. I'll see you then." Ranma stood up, taking the plate still piled with sandwiches with him. "Oh yeah. Try and go a little easier on your gang. They ain't used to the same stuff as we are and you might have given them a bit to much to start with."  
  
Ryoga sneered, than shook his shaggy head and sighed. He hadn't had time to trim his hair yet and despite the four showers and baths he had taken, dust was still flying out of his hair. "You're right, but try and stay out of my business. I'll teach my students my way, and you can teach your's however you want. Most of the people in this house are out of shape and we only have a few months to make them into something resembling martial artists. There are a few exceptions though. The -what's it called? The Quidditch team and it's alternates and hopefulls are in decent shape for non- fighters. I actually have them with the heavier stuff, the rest are doing some light weights to tone more than increase the muscles they have. Then I'll get down to real fighting."  
  
Ranma chuckled, craking his neck. "You do that. I've already started teaching a few basic stances and forms. We're going easy for the first month, then I'll get them going with falls and taking a hit. A month after that, we'll split them into two groups. Akane will take the ones who are learning a little slower and I'll be teaching those that show potential. Do you know who the second person for your classes are going to be? Each house is supposed to get two people."  
  
Ryoga shook his head. "I got a letter a few days before I got here, saying that the other instructor would be delayed in ariving until a personal matter could be resolved. I have no clue who it's supposed to be, but I know it's someone we haven't had much to do with yet. We know him, but it's not someone we saw on a regular basis. He's supposed to be a pretty tough customer who had to be convinced by Happosai and Dumbledore to take the job."  
  
Ranma snorted. "If that's true it could be almost anyone. We know all the ones our own age and the older ones wouldn't be too likely to put everything aside to teach here."  
  
Ryoga shrugged. He nodded and smiled at a group of Ravenclaw girls who went past, totally missing the giggles and looks they gave in response to his attention. Even in his choas filled life, some things never change and one of the few things Ranma could count on was Ryoga's obliviousness towards anyone not challenging him or interrupting him during a challenge.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
The next few weeks were pretty normal. The only odd things happening was Umbridge completely avoiding Ranma and the other martial artists. She rearranged her schedule so that she took no part in inspecting the classes they were taking, even skipping her evaluations for Tofu, Kasumi, and Ku Lon's courses. Word was slowly trickling out about Ranma's true status in the outside world, though no one treated him any differently than they had previously. Malfoy took special joy in tormenting the Gryffindor house by docking points at a startling pace.  
  
The Quidditch teams started regular practices, and Ron was soon the front runner to take over as the keeper for Gryffindor. Hermione became a regular observer at the practices, since her two best friends were on the team and she soon started to make her presence known by giving pointers and devising strategies based on other sports she had seen. She wasn't a big fan of Quidditch, but was a fan of the Muggle sports of baseball and basketball. She adopted some of the plays from those games and was soon an unoffical part of the team.  
  
Ranma and the other martial artists were wondering when and if the second person was going to arrive for the Ravenclaw house. Ranma had so far been able to avoid Shan Pu and Mu Tsu, except for the classes they shared. Luckily, the pair had left him and Akane alone.  
  
Ranma and Ryoga had started a daily sparing session in the evenings which was watched and marveled over by their students. Fred and George had started taking bets with a friend, Lee Jordan about how long it would last until Ranma called an end to the fight. They had tried getting people to bet on Ryoga's winning the matches, but it was soon apparent to even the newest person that Ranma was a far superieur martial artist. Ryoga was only able to hold his own due to his immense strength and incredible constitution. He could take hits that would destroy anyone else.  
  
Akane completely avoided the fights, prefering to spend the time either training on her own by helping a few of the students with their skills or doing her homework. She and Ranma were starting to catch up to the fourth year students. She was really enjoying the break from the usually chaotic existence she and Ranma lived through at home. She was getting mail from Nabiki, who would let her know what was going on back home, and who would brag about how scared everyone was of Haabu. Akane would write back, bragging about how even Haabu was no match for Ranma. It was just good natured teasing between the two, comparing their husbands skills and abilities.  
  
It was a quiet time, something that had been rare for Hogwarts in recent years. No mysterious deaths or injuries. No strangers skulking about the castle searching for hidden stones or chambers or weapons. Instead of calming everyone, many were getting tenser, waiting for something horrible to happen. And on a crisp day in mid October, it did.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"I can't believe the Ministry is doing this!" Harry stated angrily as he paced the common room.  
  
"I don't like it either, Harry, but what can we do? We have no power over the actions of the Ministry." Hermione stated, trying vainly to calm her irate friend.  
  
"It's not right, it's jus not right." Ron muttered under his breath as he stared into the fire.  
  
The students at Hogwarts had this morning received notice from the ministry that due to the rising histeria in the wizarding community, all traffic to and from Hogwarts was cancelled until the end of the year. Any mail sent to the school would have to be examined by an approved Ministry representative. All trips of the grounds of the school were postponed, including trips to Hogsmeade. All clubs, groups, and teams were disbanded, including Quidditch. They would have banned the martial arts course, but everyone, even the Slytherins, were having too much fun and parents of the students had put pressure on the offices of the Ministry.  
  
And the Ministry had also been advised that such an act would go against the nature of the relationship they held with various international ministries and would cause the international community to disband the U.K ministry and replace the members with people of their choosing. A strongly worded letter arrived by courier from the Land of Angwan, signed by Prince Haabu, King Saffron, and Matriarch Nodaka Saotome that any further attempts to interfere with the scheduled course load would result in retaliation by the peoples of Angwan and the Three Tribes.  
  
The main problem they were having was that all their mail was going to be read. Which meant that Ranma and his gang couldn't really say anythign in the notes they sent to the council, nor could Harry and friends talk about Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Harry himself wasn't affected as the only people he knew who weren't at the school who might write to him were the Weasley family. And perhaps MadEye Moody and Tonks. The same went for Ron and Hermione. Neither was very popular and aside from family, the only friends they had were here at the school.  
  
"Of course it's not right, Ron! Nothing they've done since last year is right. None of it makes any sense. Why would they want to cover up Cedric's murder? Why go to all the trouble of censoring the Daily Prophet? It's usually a pretty fair paper, but since last year it's been very harsh on Hogwart's and especially on you, Harry."  
  
Harry sighed and took off his glasses. He slumped down into an overstuffed armchair, wearily rubbing his eyes before replacing the thin frames. "I don't care one wit what they write up about me, Hermione, but it's when they start going on about you and Ron and how you're just following my lead about things like you're a pair of fools. And what they write about Cedric and how he died during the tournament. I have a bit of blame for that, but I do know that it was Voldemort that killed him. But if I hadn't insisted on sharing the win with him, Cedric would be alive, and I'd be dead."  
  
Hermione shook her head. "You should care a little about what they say, Harry. They claim that Cedric had you beat but that you tried to grab the cup out of his hands and that's when the pair of you dissapeared. Then you came back with Cedric's body, uninjured and claiming that Voldemort had returned. They are mocking you, Harry, trying to make you seem like a frightened and selfimportant fool who is deluding others with these stories in order to feed your self image."  
  
"Hermione is right, Harry. The Ministry is making you into a laughing stock. Someone to be pitied and patronized, but not to be believed. They don't want anyone to believe that Voldemort is back. They're terrified of him. They probably think it's a good idea, what with not wanting a panic in the wizarding world. They don't want to believe he's back, because if he is, than soon he's going to start doing the same things he used to do, what with the kidnappings and murders and torture and all." Ron added.  
  
"Still, forcing us to cancel Quidditch and the other teams and even the Yule ball and Hogsmeade trips. It's unfair. How are we supposed to get supplies if we run out? What about us all having to stay here for the holidays? I like being here during Christmas instead of with the Dursleys' but most of you have families to go home to and you won't be able to because of the goings on that happened because Voldemort keeps trying to find ways to kill me. I'm not too worried about myself, well, except for Quidditch. It's the others, who have families and such to go home to and write to. Most everyone I care about is here, now. Hah, most everyone I know is here now."  
  
The painting door swung open and Ranma and Akane strode in. Both were girls at the moment, and Ranma's feminine face was set in a scowl. Akane wore a patient look on her face and one of her arms was around the smaller girl's waist. They joined the threesome by the fire, Akane sitting next to Hermione and pulling Ranma into her lap. No one at the school even batted an eye at their displays of affection, and they were comfortable enough to hug each other and hold each other in the common rooms.  
  
"I should go to that Ministry and show them what real power is." Ranma muttered, still a little shy as Akane rocked her back and forth. She might have accepted being a girl, but that didn't mean she should enjoy being a girly type of girl. Even if it felt nice here in front of the fire sitting on Akane's lap with her arms around her.  
  
Akane squeezed her wife, placing a tender kiss on her forehead. "Ranma, we talked about this. You can't go around solving everybody else's problem. We have our own to concern us. If they ask for our help, we'll do what we can, but we won't go barging into a situation we don't really understand. Let Dumbledore and the others handle the Ministry, so long as they leaves our classes alone."  
  
Ranma stood and started pacing, so agitated that she unconciously used some ki to allow her to walk straight up the wall next to the fire place. She stopped walking when she had a gasp of surprise and looked down. Somewhat startled to find herself thirty feet from the floor up the wall, her concentration faltered and she slipped. Allowing herself to fall, she twisted and landed lightly on her feet, the mid length skirt she was wearing fell back into position and swayed against her legs cutely.  
  
"Sorry, lost track there for a moment." she stated as she sat down next to Akane on the sofa. Ron and Harry were sitting in the two chairs across a low table from the sofa, all the furniture tilted to face the fire. Others who were sitting around the room ignored them, too caught up in their own discussions regarding the recent announcement and their own anger towards the Ministry.  
  
Harry frowned as a thought came to him. "There's another reason this doesn't make sense." He waited until they looked at him before continuing. "Whatever else they are, the ministry aren't idiots. They have to know that canceling everything, especially trips to Hogsmeade and the Yule ball, that the students wouldn't be too happy with them. Fudge might be a bit egocentric, but he's not an idiot."  
  
Ron spoke up next. "Maybe Fudge's ego doesn't see that far. He might think that we'll be blaming Dumbledore and you, Harry. What with the lies and fake stories they've been running about the pair of you."  
  
"What stories have they said about Dumbledore?" Harry asked, fiercely loyal to the ancient headmaster.  
  
"Just that he's a bit rattle in the head and has been for a while. They've had quotes and false reports from people like Malfoy and his crew to spread false rumours about the stuff that's happened. They claimed you were a glory hound seeking attention and that Dumbledore's wits were addled and it lead to his being taken in by your wild stories. They've completely ignored the stories others have told that agree with you... with our reports about everything. Quirrel, the Chambre, Lockehart, even the truth about Sirius and Wormtail. They ignore all that in favor of trying to make Dumbledore seem addled so that they can replace him. More than likely, they want that Umbridge woman put in charge. Have you heard what she did with some classes? Dismissing the teacher's lessons and appointing her own lesson plans? I'm just surprised that she hasn't done it to us, yet."  
  
Hermione snorted. "I'm not. After what Ranma said to her, I'd be surprised if she drew his attention to herself that way. She's avoided anything to do with any Gryffindor class. She doesn't want to take the chance of angering Ranma." She grinned at the couple, who were leaning into each other, arms circling waist and shoulders. "I was talking to Luna and Cho Chan from the Ravenclaw house. They told me that they aren't doing anything in the classes. No practical work or practice at all. Just reading from the books. She doesn't let them talk or answer any questions, just sitting at the front of the class clearing her throat and telling them that they don't need to practice the spells, that the books explain all they need to know."  
  
Akane gasped. "She's deliberately trying to sabatoge them so they aren't able to defend themselves!"  
  
Hermione nodded, her face grim. "That's what Cho and Luna think as well. The first day, Cho asked why they weren't practicing for when they would need to use spells, but Umbridge said that children didn't need to work spells and that there was no reason to practice for something that would never happen. Voldemort was dead and gone and no one was lurking in the shadows seeking to take power over the wizarding community. She then parrotted to them nearly word for word some of the lies and exagerations the Prophet's been spouting since last year."  
  
Ranma frowned, the expression not marring her looks at all. "Maybe I should talk to the Ministry, get them to take her out of here."  
  
It was Harry's turn to shake his head. "Not yet. If you do that, who knows what they'll do next. At least this way, we know who were up against. If we get rid of her, they'd find someone else to send in her place. Everyone will have to bear with it for a little longer."  
  
Hermione's face lit up in a grin. "Harry, we can do it!"  
  
The others looked at her in confusion. "Do what, Hermione?"  
  
"We can teach the others. She hasn't done anything to Gryffindor, and between us, we're ahead of everyone else already. You can teach some dueling stuff, while I teach them some other spells. You're way ahead in the DADA courses Harry. They could skip you straight to seventh year and you'd still be ahead of the rest of the class. Umbridge has been coming down hardest on the classes that concentrate on fighting, while ignoring things like healing herbs and history. She's even taken out the DADA courses for some of the other houses. Only us and Slytherin are doing anything in those courses. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw are simply twidling their thumbs. Well, the younger grades, anyway. She's avoided Sirius completely, though she has had a few discussions with Professor McConnagall. She's even had a row with Snape!"  
  
"Hermione, I can't teach anyone! I'm not as good as you think."  
  
Hermione reached over the table and took Harry's hands. "Harry, you're the youngest person in a very long time to do a Patronus. You can do a full Corporeal Patronus. Fred and George's idea about how we get our power is right, Harry. We don't get stronger as we get older, we just learn how to use the power we already have. You were forced to learn spells you shouldn't have learned for years yet. And let's be honest here, Harry. You're the only one to survive a meeting with Voldemort where he tried to kill you. Everyone else he's wanted dead, is dead. He's not worried about the rest of us, except that he wants you alone and unable to fight him. He's scared of you, Harry and you can teach us and the other's about the reality of a fight, not the stylized stuff we learn from the books or Snape. You can shake off the Crucious Harry, and block killing spells. None of us, not even the seventh years, can do that."  
  
"Hermione's right, Harry. You're good. Really good. No one else is even close to your level. If you weren't good, you wouldn't still be alive. It'd be you who died last year, and likely well before reaching the cup and being portkeyed away."  
  
Harry looked at his friends. He felt proud that they could think he would be able to help them improve their own skills, but he still felt he wasn't as good as they thought. Most of his luck was just that: Luck. He had been extremely lucky so far, in both suviving the troubles and in his friends. Without his friends, he would have never survived Quirrel, let alone the other incidents.  
  
"I still think it's daft for me to be teaching anyone, but I supposed I could tutor a few people." he stated cautiously.  
  
Hermione hugged him and Ron clapped his shoulder.  
  
"Right on Harry. When you want to start?" Ron asked, leaning away from the table.  
  
"Before we decide that, we should talk about how this is going to work." stated Akane. "Gryffindor is okay, but it's Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw that need the help. Do you know anyone in those houses that might want to help get people involved."  
  
Hermione smiled. "I'll talk to Cho Chan and Luna Lovegood. They're in Ravenclaw. I don't know any of the Hufflepuff's myself, but maybe your sister can help direct us to people, Akane. She's been with them for a few months now and she'll have a good idea of who might be interested."  
  
"I guess that will do for now. Next time I seem Kasumi, I'll ask her about getting Hufflepuffs involved. We were supposed to meet tomorrow at lunch to write a letter home." Akane stated. "In Nabiki's last letter she mentioned that Kiima has been going to school in her cursed form and is still driving Kuno insane by coming onto him and than bashing him for a pervert the way Ranma and I used to."  
  
"Good for her. This Kiima sounds like a girl after Fred and George's heart." Ron stated with a laugh towards his brothers. Every gave scattered giggles and guffaws, well knowing how Fred and George would react to Tatewaki Kuno's behaviour and the punishment Nabiki and the Pheonix woman were dishing out to the deluded wannabe samurai. That done, the rest of the evening passed discussing various subjects, each giving the others hints on their specialties.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
The idea was quickly and eager accepted by all those approached. Each person brought in others and soon, everything was nearly back to normal. It had been worked a bit that night, and they decided that Harry was right. He simply could not help everyone who wanted or needed the help. So they agreed that he would help a small group, maybe 10 or 11 students in the houses, and those students would instruct other's in their own house. The Gryffindor's would be able to aid them, as they had not been overly bother by Umbridge since Ranma's confrontation with her several weeks before.  
  
Fred and George were suprisingly helpful in recruiting members into what they affectionately called 'Harry's Hardluck Tutoring' or HarHarTu for short. They were among the most popular students at Hogwarts, thanks to their practical jokes. They had already decided against continueing their education after this final year, and were scrounging to save as much money as they could to help in their self imposed quest to open the Ultimate Joke Shop. They were hoping to cross over into the muggle world, as well as the magical world with their inventions, knowing that most muggles would accept their gadgets and doodads as being of scientific instead of magical origins.  
  
The first meeting of HarHarTu was held a snowy Sunday eve. There had been a surprise that morning as the second instructor for the Ravenclaw's Martial Arts class arrived. No one had been sure how to take the appearance of the strange beast that landed in front of the main quad that morning. It was about 15feet tall, had a bull's head, furry muscular body, two small wings on it's upper back, a half dozen octopus tentacle wriggling from between the wings, and an eel shaped tail. Ranma and Akane had immediately started slamming their heads into a wall, causing some concern on the part of their friends as to the stability of the wall when they stopped.  
  
Ranma had started to approach the large figure, which had pulled a small thermos out of a sack it carried and was waiting for him to approach beore dumping the kettle over itself. Ranma paused about ten feet from the handsome Chinese boy that was the true form of the monstrous Pantsuto Taro.  
  
"What the hell you doing here, pantyhose?" Ranma's voice carried through out the quad and held notes that few there had heard him use before. Akane quickly directed a shocked Neville, who had become a part of the inner circle, to find her sister, Tofu and Cologne and warn them of Pantyhose's arrival.  
  
Taro sneered down at the younger man. "I was sent by Happosai to help pigboy with teaching these pathetic weaklings how to fight."  
  
Ranma sighed. "What the hell did the old fart say that would convince you to help anyone but your self, bakayarou?"  
  
Taro snorted, sounding not much different than his cursed form. "He didn't say anything. He finally allowed me to change my name. I am no longer 'the little pantyhose boy'."  
  
Ranma smirked. He could sense Taro's pleasure at having ridden himself of the hated moniker. "So what did the freak change it to? Terry Cloth?"  
  
Taro's face tightened at the words. "Actually, okama, it's Bull Erunam. The old goat said Erunam was an ancient and proud name that fit me perfectly."  
  
Ranma paused in his taunting. There was something about that name. He tried spelling it in his head. He snickered as a thought exploded in his mind. He tried to stiffle his laughter and failed, having to hold his sides to keep from splitting apart at the seems.  
  
"What the hell is so funny, okama? It's a strong, manly name." Taro stated roughly. He liked his new name. It tied to both his forms.  
  
"Yeah, strong smelling. The goat got you again, Bull."  
  
"What's wrong with it?" Taro was trully puzzled. He could see nothing wrong with his name. Bull was the name of one of his favorite characters on his favorite show he'd watched as a child.  
  
"Bull Erunam? Eruname is manure spelled backwards in Romaji. Happy convinced you to take the name Bull Shit." Ranma fell to the ground at the expression on the older boy's face. It looked like Taro was in pain. "Look, sorry man, but really, what where you thinking when the old man suggested it? You should know by not no to trust the bastard."  
  
Taro fell to knees, anger and embarrassment filling him. He started slamming his fists into the ground, cracking the cobblestones upon which he was standing. "How? How did I let him do this to me again? Why did I trust the slimy little windbag! He's done it again! I was sure I had him this time. I even had him begging on his knees before I accepted the offer to come here and what do I get? He calls me Bullshit."  
  
Ranma stopped laughing and went over to the other boy. "Look, man. It ain't so bad. You like Bull right? So go by Bull Taro. That's still a strong name."  
  
The humiliated young man looked up. He seemed surprised to see Ranma standing so close. "What? Bull Taro?"  
  
"Sure, why not? I mean, the problem you had with Taro had to do with being called Pantsuto Taro, right? There's nothing wrong with Taro itself. So call yourself Bull Taro. Since the freak gave you both names, according to your village rules, you have the right to call yourself what ever you want as long as it's part of those names! Look at it this way. He name you Pantsuto Taro Bull Ernuman. So if you shorten that a bit, it can be Bull Taro. Or, if you prefer, Pantsuto Erunam."  
  
Taro glared at Ranma, his whole body poising to attack. One look into his eyes, reminded him of the last time the two had fought and of Ranma's promise to him should be step too far out of line. He sagged and sighed, rubbing his face with a strong hand. "Sure, why not? Bull Taro it is, then."  
  
It was at this time that Neville returned with the other martial instructors. They turned the corner just in time to see Ranma helping the larger man to his feet. They were able to judge from the surprisingly intact state of the surroundings and the lack of fleeing students taht the problem had been solved at least somewhat peacefully. Or as peacefully as anything relating to Ranma and his rivals ever gets resolved.  
  
Ryoga grunted at Taro as he reintroduced himself. He offered to bring Taro to the main dinning hall for the formality of the sorting hat. The two walked off, each trying to outdo the other in casualness at their presence. Neither knew each other that well, their only interactions being as a result of conflicts with Ranma that escalated to involve the both of them. Ranma doubted they'd ever be friends, but hopefully they'd get along better with each other than either did with him.  
  
He blinked and looked around, surprised to find himself in a nearly empty classroom with other instead of the quad. He and Akane were sitting at a table and there were 8 other people in the room with them. Only Harry and Neville were familiar to him. The other's were Hufflepuff's and Ravenclaw's who had agreed to be tutored by Harry. Two of them must be the girls that the other's had mentioned: Cho Chan and Luna Lovegood. He decided to actually pay attention here, since he found the actual class boring and this was a favor Harry was doing for them all. 


	9. Section 9

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

Pregnant Kasumi, yeah! Thanks for all the reviewing and I'll try to get some more out faster. Though I'd rather make it as good as I can before posting. I wouldn't want to make any mistakes or risk forgetting what I'm planning by posting too early.

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Ranma blinked and stretched as he finished warming up for his next lesson. The class had been split and he had less than 20 from the house learning from him directly. Akane's group consisting of the other 70 or so Gryffindors was currently doing laps of the inner courtyard in their gi's. Since it was a chilly late October day, this didn't go over to well with most of the students, but they were coping.

Ranma's group was in the same classroom where they'd held the first HarHarTu meeting the night before. It had been an interesting day, with Taro arriving and the meeting late in the evening for extra study. It had been a small group, but that would change. In order to avoid suspicion from Umbridge, they'd split into three groups for the sessions. Harry would be teaching one group, which would then teach the others who agreed to join. Hermione would keep track of where each group was meeting and Ron and Neville would be in charge of signing up and keeping the lists of who was involved. They had agreed that since Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff where the houses being mistreated, that the sessions would be held mainly to keep their fellow students somewhat close to their own level of instruction.

Though all agreed that Sirius Black was a surprisingly great teacher. They had already gone into the Dark Forest five times, tracking and capturing various dark creatures. He was also teaching them curses and countercurses that they were told had not been taught in decades. Unfortunately for the others, the Umbridge woman's interference was costing them greatly. They were pretty much stalled in the learning process, with her ridiculous insistance that the theoretical book knowledge was enough and that they didn't have to practice or perform any of the extremely harmless and totally useless spells she insisted they learned.

Ranma grinned as he corrected Dennis Creevey's stance. Dennis was one of the youngest to have made it to Ranma's group. He was a slight little boy who, like his older brother Colin, worshiped Harry. He was surprisingly agile and fast. He had been shocked to make it to Ranma' s group, blushing around all the congratulations his friends and housemates had thrown his way. Ranma had high hopes for the young boy, feeling that he had a great deal of potential. If he kept it up, Ranma was sure he'd be able to teach him the Chestnut Fist by the end of the year.

He was currently showing them a rather complex stance he felt would be usefull against someone armed with a wand. It had originally been designed for someone with throwing stars or knives or even arrows. It gave the person a great deal of maneuverability, allowing them to either dodge, duck, leap, or drop to avoid a thrown weapon. In their case, it would allow them to dodge incoming spells and still be in a position to cast their own with relative ease. He was also showing them quicker ways to draw their wands.

Akane's group was still working on base forms and attacks. If he had to rank anyone, he'd rank his group as orange belts, and Akane's would be a mix of yellow and green. She was a little more patient then he was and was better able to handle the slower learning students or those having problems because of their lack of coordination and other setbacks.

Ranma looked up after allowing Dennis to shoulder toss him onto the mat. He noticed out the window that the sky was starting to cloud over rapidly and that the temperature was also beginning to drop.

"Okay gang, I guess that's it for today. Let's all clean this gear up and then head up to the tower for a change in clothes. I want you all ready tomorrow to start where we're leaving off, so remember what form you're in. Oh, next week, we'll finally be starting with the staffs." He nodded over to the rack of bo staffs near their mats. "I want you to remember that it's not a large wand. It's a weapon you use to hit people with, not cast spells. When you're all sufficiently capable of handling the staffs, then we will experiment with using them to aid in casting spells. While I'm not too good at magic myself, I am familiar with using it to direct my chi."

The group laughed and talked amonst each other while packing up the gear and carrying it into the storage rooms Dumbledore had assigned them. Ordinarily, house elves would have put the mats and tools away, but Ranma had specifically requested them to allow the students to put the equipment away. It was a part of their training, learning to take care of things on their own with no magical help. Situations would arise in their lives that would likely bar them from using their magic, and they had to learn to use more mundane means.

Ranma wasn't adverse to a little hard work himself, as he aided the students in replacing the equipment. They were met up by the students from Akane's group, returning their own equipment. The two groups merge and split amongst themselves, mostly joining friends in their grade levels to discuss homework from other courses, though some sibling groups stuck together and others who were dating went off together for a few moments of time together before supper.

Akane was waiting for him by the door as he locked the weapons rack in place. Today was one of her days to be a guy. She had already taken the time to make a quick run to their chambers and change into a more comfortable outfit of slacks and a sweater. She'd tried getting used to wearing the same styles as Ranma, but they'd felt wrong on her. So she'd tried to find an outfit for her male form that felt comfortable and had settled on various slacks and shirt combinations.

"So how do you think Ryoga and Taro are getting along, Ranma?" Akane asked, clapping Ranma on the shoulder.

"Well, since I haven't felt any drops or spikes in either's ki-levels, they haven't started fighting yet. They don't have too much to fight about, really. Just that Taro's a complete jerk and Ryoga's as dense as depleted uranium. He just can't take a joke."

Akane grinned. It always made her feel good when Ranma dropped the pretenses and allowed her to see that he wasn't just the jock and that he was smarter than people gave him credit for. His school grades at Furinken had skyrocketed like Kuno trying to glomp them once they had returned to school. Tofu's suggestion that Ranma consider becoming a doctor was still broiling in the back of his head, and he had also taken a liking to physics, once he'd figured out how knowing the laws of the universe would let him break them on a regular basis.

Standing close, they walked back to their rooms, where Ranma changed out of his gi, and after a cold shower, dressed in one of his favorite dresses. It was midcalf length, and just tight enough to hug his curves, while allowing a surprising range of motion on the off chance of a fight. Underneath, he wore a plain bra and cotton boxers. They offered him a little more security against prying eyes, though he did occassionally wear panties. Sometimes those were more comfortable than boxers with certain outfits he chose to wear.

They joined their friends in the dinning hall and sat down for another delicious and plentiful meal.

Harry laughed as for once, he defeated Ron at wizard's chess. It had been a day of firsts. Today had been the first day he'd gotten through a Divination class without Trelawney predicting his imminent and painful death. After that, he'd managed to stay awake through History, and he'd correctly answered Snape's questions in Potions.

It was also the first time in as long as he could remember that none of them had any pressing homework due. There were a few long term assignments, but those needed some time before they could be worked on, and thanks to the Umbridge woman's interference, there was no Quidditch this year. Although most of the student body was hopping for a reversal on that decision. That, and on the mail. Since the arrival of Ranma and his associates, they didn't mind not going to Hogsmeade as much, since they were usually too tired after the workouts of their various teachers to think about causing mischief or spending money. Of course, as with all things, there were a few exceptions.

"Hey guys, come look at this." Fred called out from a corner and George had claimed as their own. They'd perfected most of their sickly candies and were working on a new gadget.

Harry motioned for Ron to join his brother while he cleared the mess of the shattered pieces. Once the flecks of dust and shattered stones were in the box, the infused magic of their nature caused them to be reformed into their original forms.

"So what kind of trouble are you too up to?" Harry asked as he sat in a chair across from the twins.

Fred grinned and cocked his right eyebrow. Next to him, George mirrored his twin, cocking his left eyebrow. They looked like they were mirrors of each other as their hands reached for the objects on the table. "Well, with all the problems we've had with the Ministry reading our mail and putting pressure on the Prophet to spread their lies about everything. So, we've been working on a way to get accurate news from outside of the grounds."

"Right, Fred. Dad was going on and on about this Muggle thing called cellphones. It seems that there are these new fangled fellytone things that don't have any wires. It sends the signal by something called a satellite. This makes it hard to track where a call is coming from. Dad was mightily impressed with them and bought one. Of course, he didn't know how to work it right, so he gave it up and put it with the rest of the stuff he's picked up in his toycloset."

Fred nodded. "Anyway, George and I snuck in and got it. It worked on eelictricy from a batairy. We've been trying to get it to work with a magical source of power. You know, a spell that would contain some of our magical energy so that it would power the thing."

Harry grinned. He could see where the twins were going with this. "So you're trying make a magical battery for the cell phone. But why? I though Muggle tools like that wouldn't work here."

"They usually don't, but the spell will make it work. It's imbueing it with magic, the same as with a wand or a broom. What we're hoping for is that the Ministry will not have thought to block Muggle signals. They're tracking all magical means of contact outside of Hogwarts, or spying on them. We were able to reach our brother Bill, who has one of these himself. He's like Dad, always toying with Muggle things, except he actually understands them quite a lot. He's going to get a few for himself, and a few other people on the outside, and they'll be able to pass information to us, and we to them, about what's happening."

Ron grinned. "That's bloody brilliant, Fred!"

Harry laughed. A thought occured to him though that caused him to stop. "But what's the point? We can't leave the grounds to do anything, and they can't do anything to stop that damn Umbridge woman. She's ruining Hogwarts and the Ministry is letting her. Even Dumbledore is doing nothing to stop her."

George sobbered. "Harry, I know it might seem like that, but Dumbledore is doing everything he can to make sure Hogwarts stays open. Rumors have been passed that the Ministry is trying to get him removed from the Headmaster's post as well as his other duties within the Ministry. He's a busy man, Dumbledore. He's the head of several councils and foundations in the government as well as the Headmaster here. It's taking all his influence to keep the Ministry from placing Umbridge as Headmaster."

Harry was shocked. He'd known that the Ministry was pushing Dumbledore to do things he didn't want to do, but he hadn't had any idea that they were exerting so much pressure on him. No wonder Dumbledore hadn't stopped the Ministry's stooge from her insane rules and cruel punishments. "How's this going to help, then?"

George brightenned. "We've been making copies, transfiguring things into these cellphones. As you can see, they're small and fit easily into the pockets of our robes or even in our sleeves. We're going to make one of each member of HarHarTu. Since they are mostly muggle, they'll work and allow us to speak without fearing the fat slug's spying on us. We can even reach Bill and other's outside of Hogwarts."

Fred continued. "Bill will pass whatever we tell him to those with the authority to make desicions and they can try and get Umbridge out of here. Or at the least, get rid of the fat slug's changes and restrictions."

"I've said it before, and I don't doubt I'll say it again, but here it is: You two are bloody brilliant! We'll be able to hear if Voldemort tries anything without the Ministry being able to cover it up or censor it, like they are doing to the mail and floo communication network."

George grinned. "The FCN was my favorite way to keep in touch with my friends who've graduated. Last I heard, Oliver was going to be a starter on this year's team for Edinburough."

Fred sighed. "Damn shame, really. He wanted to play for Liverpool, since that's his hometown team, but Edinburough was higher in the draft and they knew how much Liverpool would need a player like Wood. Liverpool's attendance has been dropping and they might have to move the team if it doesn't pick up. Edinburough and Liverpool have been having a go of it for at least 10 years now, ever since Liverpool defeated Edingburough by 10 points to win the UK title after Edinburough had won for 7 straight years. Their games are some of the wildest you can imagine."

"Wow. That's impressive." Harry stated. "What happened?"

Ron replied, having read a great deal of the history between the two teams, though he favored the Cannons himself. "It was the final game for the UK Cup Title. Edinburough was slaughtering Liverpool. They were up by almost 300 points, and that was without catching the Snitch. The game lasted for 4 days without either team being able to score. Then Liverpool scored. They scored 100 points in about 20 minutes. Edinburough was furious. Their seeker wasn't able to catch the Snitch. He'd had a few close calls, even having gotten hold of a wing once or twice, but the Liverpool beaters knocked it away with the bludgers everytime he came near. They were able to keep him from ending the game."

George continued when Ron paused to breath. "After being up by 280 points for 4 days, the Edinburough team was exhausted. They'd started concentrating on helping their seeker catch the Snitch. The keeper even left the goals to block bludgers and chase players. This let the Liverpool team score some more. Then, seeing that they couldn't just let the Liverpool team get too close, they started trying again. The score rose and fell and eventually, Liverpool made it 320-180.

Edinburough got the quaffle and with a few passes, had a two chaser breakaway. The Liverpool beaters had been knocked off by the bludgers, and the chasers were being chased by the beaters, keeper and seeker."

Fred picked up where George stopped. "The chasers made some short passes, slowly spreading to either side and also varying heights to deke the keeper. They managed to confuse the keeper into slamming into one of the goal hoops. Nearly took his head off, the stupid git. Anyway, the two paused and gloated a bit before one of them made a lazy toss of the quaffle. Right as it passed through the hoop, the whistle sounded. Everyone looked around, and they finally noticed that while everyone was struggling near the Liverpool goal, Liverpool's seeker was at the other end of the pitch, catching the snitch. The score went up: Liverpool 330, Edinburough 320. Edinburough tried to claim that the quaffle went in before the seeker caught the snitch, but the judges ruled for Liverpool."

George nodded wildly. His hair, a lighter shade than his younger brother's, shifted wildly on his head. "Edinburough was right ticked. They tried claiming all kinds of things, from the judges being bribed to a conspiracy to keep a Scottish team from winning. Of course, there was an investigation, and it was found that Liverpool didn't do anything wrong. In fact, the investigators found the the Edinburough team had cheated by spelling the Liverpool brooms with a Slowness spell and the chasers with an odd spell that affected their aim. That's why they had so much trouble at the start. The club was banned for two years and all the players were kicked out of the league. And ever since then, Edinburough has been doing it's best to humiliate Liverpool and wipe them out. That's why they picked Oliver. They couldn't let Liverpool get a player that would help them get people to go to their games. They're trying to push Liverpool out of the league."

Ron snorted. "It doesn't help that Liverpool has only won about 1 game a year since then. And usually, it's the game against Edinburough. They're terrible. No one wants to play for them, and the management seems to have given up. They haven't had a decent player in years. Their only real hope was getting Wood. Being a hometown guy, he'd have given them someone the fans would recognize and want to see. That would bring in more money, and that would mean they could afford better players."

"With Edinburough taking Oliver, Liverpool is sure to lose the team. Unless something drastic happens and they get a large amount of gold to bolster the finances and pay the players." Fred sighed. He handed the original cellphone to Harry, who looked it over closely.

He'd seen several before, since Uncle Vernon had been assigned one from his job. He'd made a point of mentioning it several times a day when he'd first gotten it, trying to reinforce how important he was at work and how little anything Harry did mattered in the 'real world' as he called it.

"We added a few extras. Dad had another phone thing, called a questioning machine or something that would save spoken messages if no one was there to speak to you when you tried to call. We put a spell version of that in these. If no one is able to take the call, you can leave your message. Also, you can call back to the last person you called, you can call the last person to call you, and you can call several people at once, so you can talk to however many people you need to tell about your news." Fred lifted another of the gadgets and handed it to Ron. "Here Ron, you and Harry can have these two. Fred and I have our own. We should have some for Hermione and a few more people next week. What ever you do, don't let Umbridge get ahold of them. Hide them in your robes. Right now, only Bill, us four, and one of Bill's friend's in the Auror's have them."

"Thanks. This will help a lot. At least we'll be able to find out what's going on from people we can trust." Harry stated, slidding his new possession into his sleeve pocket. Ron did the same, marveling at his brother's ingenuity.

"Look, you can play with them later. For now, keep them out of sight and don't tell anyone about them. Not Hermione, and not Ranma. The less people who know the better, at least until we can cook up enough for all the HarHarTus." Fred stated, gathering the supplies into a bag and slidding it under his robes. "Look, we told Lee we'd meet him outside. We'll put this lot away and let you know when we have more. In the mean time, go back to playing. We'll see you tomorrow at breakfast."

Harry and Ron grinned at each other while watching the twins as they hurried out the entrance of the common room. They glanced at each other and went back to sit in the seats they'd been in before joining the twins. A pair of first years had taken over the chessboard, but a glare from Ron sent them scurrying off to the other side of the room, the chessboard forgotten in their hurry to escape the pair. Though not as well known as Harry, Ron had garnered his own reputation, mainly as someone different from his easy going brothers. It was common knowledge that he was Harry's best friend, though most knew little about his personality. Mainly all that was known was that he wasn't the studious type like his brother Percy, nor was he the jokesters his twin brothers were. Few at the school remembered the elder brothers, Bill and Charlie, though Charlie was still remembered for his skill with the Care of Magical Creatures and those that did remember him knew he had gone on to study dragons.

The most well known thing about Ron, aside from being Harry's best friend, was that he was one of the best chess players at the school. There were rumors going around that he had even defeated Professor Flitwick, who was widely acknowledged as the best chess player at Hogwarts. Neither Ron nor the Professor had made any comment to the rumors, though the Professor would smile mysteriously at the slightest hint of their rumoured contest.

Since neither felt like playing chess, they decided that they might as well get started on the simplest of homeworks they had waiting for them. There was a surprising amount of paperwork involved in their accupuncture class. Before they could attempt any of the pressure points on another person, they had to identify them and how they affected a person correctly, perfectly on the sheets Tofu-sensei had provided. There was a mimimum amount of risk involved this way, since some of the pressure points could be painful and potentially limb threatening.

Behind them, the first years snuck back to the chessboard while the pair left to work on the charts in their room.

Akane giggled girlishly as she tried to get away from her husband. She had been studying for an upcoming test in Charms, when Ranma had decided to start a tickle war.

She had been caught unaware, first by the bucket of cold water that the smaller girl had splashed her with, and then by the sneak attack on her ticklish underarms. In most ways, she enjoyed having a curse. Though she still had ways to go to have the control Ranma did, she could usually block against sudden, unwanted changes. She did have a tendacy to relax when she was alone with her husband though, since Ranma was a bit of a neat freak and rarely went around splashing their furnishings with water, though outside the castle, everything and everyone was fair game.

Their classmates/students had learned this the hard way the first week of class. Ranma had tried to warn them by telling them to always be on guard and aware of their surroundings, but few of them had taken his warning to heart. They'd had fun for the next couple of weeks, pulling prank after prank on the Gryffindor household. They'd caught everyone but little Dennis Creevey off guard, and when the time came, they'd rewarded him by allowing him to join Ranma's advanced group. He was small boy, even for his age, and he usually seemed too excited and hyper to ever be a candidate for such an intricate and focused line of study. However, he had taken to the lessons better than most of his classmates, having a speed and balance far ahead of any of the others.

Holding her sides as they started to ached from her laughter, she haltingly attempted to stop Ranma's hands. "Okay, okay, enough. I quit already." she managed to croak out during fits of giggling.

Ranma stilled his hands, sliding them to his wife's hips. He looked down at his disheveled spouse with a haughty look on his pretty face. "Oh? Who said I wanted you to quit?"

Akane struggled with her breath as she looked up at her husband's well formed body. Her eyes travelled the slim form, starting where it rested on her flat, muscular stomach. "If you didn't want me to quit, why did you start?" She allowed a faint hint of humor to color her words.

Ranma leaned over, a hungry look on his face. He brought his face near Akane's ear and whispered into it, the breath teasing over the opening. "So I could do this." He pulled his face away, before leaning back and placing a tender kiss on Akane;s lips. He slid back, lowering himself to straddled his wife's hips and upper thighs. "It's been awhile, anata. We've been so busy lately, I felt we deserved a bit of a break." he whispered again, placing several kisses on his wife's jaw.

Akane groaned and shifted beneath her husband. She'd been trying to ignore the stirrings Ranma had raised in her. She wasn't stupid- she'd known what Ranma was doing. Smirking internally, she grabbed her husband's small hips. She'd noticed the 'accidental' carresses of Ranma's hand's during the tickle fight, but had said nothing. Ranma wasn't the only one who thought it had been too long since they'd had the opporunity for some . . . practice at heir providing.

Lately, it seemed that every time they thought they'd have some time to enjoy each other's company, something would come up or they'd be too tired than they'd thought. Learning magic was more difficult than either had expected and with keeping up with their course load, correcting the surprising amount of paperwork they'd found was needed for their lesson's, and also finding time for their own more intensive training programs, they'd had very little time to spend alone together.

Ranma's hands started sliding over her chest and she slid her hands up to stroke her husband's back. Their kissing was growing more passionate and their explorations more adventurous when a knock at the door interupted them once again.

Ranma pulled away with a groan, his face flushed and chest heaving. "Ignore them and they'll go away?" he asked.

Sighing, Akane twisted on the bed, dropping Ranma on her back. Crawling out from beneath her husband's thighs, she shook her head sadly. Adjusting her clothes for more comfort, she looked down into the cutely pouting face of her husband's female form. "Sorry anata. But hold that thought." Turning, she made her way to the portrait entrance and gave the password that would open the door. "Stupid Kuno."

The door opened and Kasumi entered, a strange smile on her face. She looked even more angelic than she usually did. There was a light that seemed to be shining from inside her, as though she had found the solution to all mankinds problems and the answer was easier and less complex than any philosopher had ever imagined.

Frowning at the intrusion, Akane gestured for Kasumi to enter. She wondered briefly what her sister wanted that was so important she felt it neccessary to interupt her special time with her husband. After all, they'd spoken just that morning. Granted, that had to do with the poor grades of Akane's last test and the assigning of extra homework for her, but still. What could have happened in three and a half hours? "Hi, imouto. Sorry it took so long, but Ranma and I, er. .. we were working on that homework you assigned."

Kasumi's face morphed into a sly grin as her eyes swept over her still wet and disheveled form. Blushing, Akane refused to be intimidated, refusing to feel ashamed of wanting to be with her husband, no matter the circumstances of their forms.

"I'll bet you were studying, imotochan." Kasumi stated slyly, with a hint of amusement in her voice. Akane had never heard her sister speak with such a tone, and was mildly surprised that she was even capable of it.

At that moment, before Akane could give a halfhearted denial, Ranma came skipping out from behind the screens that separated the 'bedroom' from the rest of their quarters. In the seconds it had taken Akane to let Kasumi in, she'd managed to change into a frilly little teddy and panty set her mother had bought her as a wedding gift, and loosened her red hair. She was frowning cutely at Kasumi, walking over and worming herself against Akane's side, smirking at the look on her wife's face.

"Konnichiwa, oneechan. Will you be here long? Akane and I were . .. .busy." she stated wickedly, pressing herself against Akane's side, one hand stroking the muscular chest.

Kasumi giggled at the playfullness of the pair. "Oh my, no. I just found out something I had to share. I'll let you get back to your. . .. homework in a few moments." she stated with the same playful wickedness in her voice.

Ranma became serious, still holding Akane, placing her head against the comfort of Akane's shoulder. "So what happened now? Shampoo still bothering the others in the class? Or is it Mousse." Though Ranma had rarely seen the pair of Amazon's, he had heard that they seemed to be going out of their way to insult and berate the members of the other houses. Though they did seem to get along with most of the Slytherin house to which they'd been sorted. They were especially bothersome in Tofu and Kasumi's class, since they felt they had learned more of accupuncture and healing herbs from their Amazon teacher's and both felt they knew more than either of the assigned Sensei's. He'd already had to have words with Cologne after Shampoo had started a fight with one of the Ravenclaw students and Ryoga had stepped in to stop her before she injured the girl.

Kasumi shook her head. "Oh no. Nothing like that." A moments pause as she seemed to consider her next words. "Well, she is still hassling a few of the other's, but no more than any of the other Slytherin's seem to. No one's really complained. No. No- this is good news."

Akane's eyebrows raised. It had been a while since they'd gotten good news around here. "So what is it oneechan?"

"First, the Ministry has reinstated Quidditch at the school, and the first game will be tomorrow." Seeing little reaction to the news, Kasumi's smile spread and threatened to split her face. One hand gently craddled her stomach and she looked down at the hand. " Oh, and I'm pregnant."

Akane and Ranma stared blankly at her for a moment before squealing and leaping forward to hug the newest Mrs. Tofu Ono. The mildly interesting thought that a squeal sounded distinctly odd in Akane's masculine baritone entered her mind before Kasumi was engulfed in the strong arms of her youngest sister and her spouse.


	10. Section 10

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

The story will take a slightly more adult tone for both adult situations and violence, but I will not be writting anything too explicit. More Lime than lemon. So this chapter would be R rated.

Quidditch violence ahead.

She awoke more comfortable and relaxed than she had felt at any time in the last few weeks. The memories of last night's activities caused a smile to break out on her face. She turned in her lover's arms and studied his sleeping face. Giving his cheek a tender kiss, she slid out of the circle of his powerful arms and out of the bed. Glancing at the clock, she noted that she was up earlier than expected, something of a surprise considering how late they'd been awake.

Deciding to treat herself to a nice, long soak in the furo, she made her way to the Japanese style bathing room of their temporary home. Deciding to stay female for the day, and be male the next instead, she expended the ki required to prevent her transformation while washing or soaking in the tub.

She scrubbed herself quickly and efficiently, wiping off the evidence of the evenings activites. Smirking as the thought that she'd once again proved more durable than her lover, she moved over and stepped into the heated water. The water was heated magically to always be at a constant temperature. Sighing as the heat started to warm her overused muscles, she stretched out in the tub, giggling as her breasts floated in the water.

Turning her mind back to earlier in the previous evening a radiant smile formed on her face. Kasumi was pregnant. The thought swirled in her mind. Soon, she would be an aunt. Uncle. Whatever. There would be a baby in the family. A pang of regret hit her, and her hand carressed her stomach, thinking of the promise she and her lover had made more than a year ago. Both wanted a large family: Ranma because he'd been an only child and Akane because she'd loved having her older siblings in her life.

They'd shared their deepest secrets with each other and decided that it didn't matter which of them became pregnant. Eventually, they both knew, they would both give birth to the other's child. The only reason one of them wasn't pregnant at the moment was because Happosai had received the request for help from Dumbledore. Neither was willing to risk the life of an unborn child by heading into a potentially dangerous situation and had taken steps to insure that no accidents would occur.

A cough from the doorway returned her attention from the contemplation of the vageries of fate to her current surroundings. She looked up at her spouse and grinned. "Join me?" she asked huskily.

Grinning and ignoring all propriety, her spouse came over and paused before stepping in. She knew he was using his ki to keep from changing as he stepped into the water. His large mass caused waves in the water and she was again struck with a moment of humor as her breasts bobbed in the little crests. Strong arms encircled her and she was pulled against a sculped body that never ceased to fascinate her. They cuddled together in the steaming water, savouring the relaxing heat of the water and each other's prescence.

"So what do you want to do today, Ranma?"

"I don't know, really. I suppose we could watch the Quidditch game with everyone else, but I'm not really interested in it. Most of the school will be there, and I though it might be time to go for a flight."

Akane smiled. "It has been a while since you've gone dragon, Ranma. Would you mind some company?"

Ranma's head tilted as he looked her over. "Are you going to try and force yourself to change, Akane? You're not quite there yet."

Akane chuckled and gave a yank of Ranma's long hair. "No, I thought you could give me a ride."

Ranma smirked at her choice of words. "I thought I let you ride me last night."

Blushingly, Akane stared at her husband. "Ranma! Don't talk like that!"

Turning in Akane's arms, Ranma grazed his lips over her cheek, nose wrinkling as the beginning of stubble growth tickled his lips. "Why not? We are married now, anata. It's natural for us to express our love physically."

Shaking her head, Akane sighed. "I know, but when you talk like that, you sound like Nabiki."

Giving a fake shudder at the thought, Ranma put a depressed look on his face. "What a horrible thing to say! And after what I let you do to me last night!"

Groaning as she vainly attempted to understand her husband's quirky sense of humor, Akane gave another brief tug of Ranma's hair. "If I remember right, you didn't LET me do anything. In fact, you were the one who threw me on the bed and had your way with me."

Shrugging, Ranma toyed with the thin hairs on the back of Akane's neck. "What does it matter, who had who doing what. It was about time, and that's all that matters. I missed you, anata. I missed holding you and feeling your heart beating against my back and your arms holding me."

Placing a kiss on Ranma's forehead, Akane gave her currenlty female husband a tender hug. "I missed you too, koi'. We need to start scheduling ourselves better. We waste a lot of time that we could use to do our homework in. That would free up some time for us to be alone together."

Ranma pressed herself against her currently male wife. "And what, pray tell, would we do with all this free time together?"

Hungrily kissing the pouty lips, Akane started stroking his back. "I'm sure we can think of something to do." Ranma returned the kiss and soon all conversation between the two stopped as their mouths were occupied in much more enjoyable persuits.

After a short doze in the large tub, the two awoke and dressed hurriedly for the day. It was Saturday and they had no classes, a fact they found most odd. Coming from Japan as they did, they found some of the breaks and classhours odd. They were used to starting earlier and finishing later in the day and with having school or Juku on Saturdays, with Sunday the only day with no school time at all. Here in Britain, they only had 5 days of school a week, and classes at Hogwarts started about a half hour later than in Japan, and finished an hour earlier.

They just made it to the Great Hall in time for a quick -but full- breakfast. Their friends stared as they downed in five minutes, a breakfast that would take them a half hour to eat. When questioned, the two had simply shrugged and said that it was a result of training and their higher energy requirements due to the curses.

There was an air of excitement in the atmosphere of the hall. The ban on Quidditch had been removed recently and everyone was looking forward to the first official game in 2 years. Gryffindor was playing Ravenclaw. Cho Chan had been named to replace the departed captain of her house team, and Gryffindor had yet another Weasley on the team as Ron tried for and was named Keeper. Harry was the seeker still, and spent a lot of his free time helping his best friend work on his skills. Even Hermione had become interested in the game, since she'd had a short relationship with Bulgarian seeker Victor Krum, who though still in school at Durmstang, had played for his country in the World Cup the summer before 4th year. Little had they known while watching him in the largest sporting event in the wizarding world, that they would get the opporunity to meet him as he and members of both his school and a french wizardy school visited Hogwart's for the Triwizard Tournament.

While attending various events with Krum and discussing the game with him, Hermione had finally found something of interest in it. She had even spent some of the summer visiting with Victor and watching some of his league games. She had also spent time watching some muggle sports, mainly football and basketball. She had seen immediately how some of the plays from those games could be modified to fit a Quidditch match, and had sat down one evening filling a notepad with various plays. She had shyly passed the notepad to the Gryffindor team and they had unaminously named her playmaster and practiced the plays until they could perform them flawlessly.

Ranma and Akane begged off on joining them, even when they enlisted Tofu and Kasumi to try an cajole them into watching the matches. That backfired on the gang, as Ranma took Tofu aside and explained that he needed to spend time in his other form. Tofu saw his point and subtly passed the information on to his wife. Together they managed to get the others to let Ranma and Akane sneak off, though Fred and George wiggled their eyebrows suggestively and made lewd comments about the young couple. Akane simply grinned and smacked Ranma's pert buttocks, chuckling as the redhead jokingly punched her shoulder and scolded her.

Shaking their heads, and with the intentionally wrong idea in their minds, the group went off to dress for the stands while Harry and Ron joined their teammates in the locker room.

Ranma and Akane watched everyone as they left, Ranma's head cuddled to Akane's shoulder and her arm around Ranma's waist. As soon as the last stragglers among the students left the hall, the pair turned and went up to the teachers table, where the headmaster, Groundskeeper, and house leaders sat finishing their morning constitutional and chatting over the coming game. The only one silent was Snape, who sat as far from the others as possible. Not surprisingly, Umbridge had left in a huff as soon as she noticed their intent to come to the table, leaving in the middle of a sentence of the speech she was giving to Professor McGonagall.

The headmaster smiled as they came to the table and broke off his conversation with Hagrid on Gryffindor's chances versus the always well coached Ravenclaw team. "Ah, Senseis Ranma and Akane. It has been awhile since we've had the opportunity to enjoy your delightful company. I noticed you discussing something with your cohorts. Is there a problem?"

Ranma shook her head. "No, nothing out of the ordinary. Just problems I'm having with class stuff that doesn't matter. I just thought it best that I let you know that I would need to perform a certain . . .function today. I - we thought it best to warn you in case you weren't aware of my . .. condition."

Dumbledore's eye twinkled merrily as he regarded the pair. "There is little that happens in the wizarding world that I am unaware of, young Ranma. And like it or not, certain events in your life qualified our keeping our eyes out for you long before your recent endeavor's. I assume this matter is in regards to that which we have agreed not to mention?"

Akane nodded. "That's the one. We were pretty sure you knew about it since Hagrid here, " she nodded to the giant who was sitting next to the ancient wizard, "was up on the roof waiting for us when we first arrived. He showed no surprise, though he was most complimentary."

Dumbledore chuckled and clapped a hand on the large man's shoulder. "Yes well, Hagrid's always had a fascination with .. . certain creatures."

"So we thought since most everyone was going to be at the Quidditch game, we'd head in the other direction. We should be back by midafternoon. If we're later, we'll land in the forest and come back on foot."

"That is fine, Ranma. I hope you and Akane enjoy your day. I'll have Hagrid head into the forest to meet you if we do not hear from you by 4o'clock." He raised a hand to forestall the protest the pair began to form. "I do not send him because I doubt your abilities to guard yourselves. I have no concern for YOUR safety. I will have him meet you at the far side of the forest, at the northern most clearing large enough to accomodate you. He knows the forest better than any other living outside it's boundries and will be able to guide you to the school more quickly than you could travel it yourselves. Don't worry about outpacing him, as he is much quicker than he appears." Again a humourous twinkle sparkled in his eye for a moment before they dimmed to their regular mysterious expression.

Ranma sighed and nodded, agreeing with the headmaster. Hagrid would know the forest better than anyone, having spent most of his life patrolling it's boundries. "Okay, if we aren't back by 4, we'll meet him there."

Dumbledore smiled and nodded to the pair, motioning them away gently. "Now be off you. You might not have a fixed schedule, but I have a Quidditch game to watch starting soon and need to visit the facilities and freshen up if I am to appear in public."

Hand in hand the pair walked out, nodding to the other's. Hagrid watched them with an almost childish look of longing. Noting the look, Akane looked down at Ranma and quirked her head towards the gentle giant. Ranma looked back over her shoulder and nodded. Smiling, Akane looked over to Hagrid and waved him to join them. The giant looked torn for a second, glancing at Dumbledore as though requesting permission and moved to join them at his wave. He leapt over the table, a feat that would amaze even those few students who knew him well as he usually took great pains to hide the gifts his giant blood granted him. Together, the three made their way up to the same roof top landing area usually reserved for V.I.P visitors and their entourages.

As they waited for the roar of the crowd to announce the beginning of the match, Ranma switched to his male form, not eager to strip naked as a woman in front of a relative stranger. He again blessed the gift that allowed him to control the curse with such ease as it solved several problems he had not enjoyed even considering until he had the means to avoid them. Among those was the pain and humiliation that had come of wearing female clothes and being transformed to his male state. Female under garments designed to fit his slim figure, were painful in his much larger male form. Now, he never had to worry about unwanted transformations because of sudden rain or splashes of water.

He waited patiently, performing a kata as he did. He ignored the slight bite of the wind on his naked form as he moved fluidly through the forms that had been ingrained in him since his first steps. He was dimly aware that Akane had transformed into her natural form, highlighted briefly by a bright flash. She moved silently into position in front of him and he paused before starting on the beginning stances of the 2nd sextet. Soon he was lost in the familiar rhythms of the exercise, nearly forgetting the Kasumi like presence of the half-giant watching them intently.

A faint buzzing in the air distracted him, and Akane's fist slammed into his ribs. He instinctively rolled with the punch, absorbing the impact into a spinkick that Akane ducked. After the kick, he stopped, and Akane retreated a step, neither winded by the complex forms.

"Oi, that was somting else, 'anma, 'kane. 'ow you manage to do all that and not be 'xhausted?" Hagrid asked the pair as they tuned into their surroundings.

Ranma grinned ruefully, rubbing his ribs where Akane's punch had landed. She was steadily improving, even with their shortened training sessions, and he had no fear that she would soon be a challenge for him. Already, her speed was nearing his natural speed in his female form, and her ki manipulation was improving with each training bout. "Lots and lots of practice, Hagrid. I've been doing this since I could walk, and Akane nearly as long. Sort of like you and those creatures you like so much. Martial arts is a part of us, just like magical creatures are a part of you. It seems like we do this so easily, since you never had to see the years of work we had to do to get to our current levels. Throw in good genetics, and we're pretty much guaranteed to be able to do what we can. Our families have been martial artists and samurai for as long as our family records go back."

"Oi, I wish I could move like that. But 'tis not for me, martial arts." Hagrid sighed, before glancing to his left in the direction of the Quidditch pitch.

Ranma grinned. He could tell that Hagrid really wanted to get to the match nearly as much as he wanted to again see Ranma's draconian form. So he decided to help the friendly giant. "Hagrid, why don't you and Akane move over to the door. I grow pretty big, pretty fast."

He watched as the pair moved over to stand in front of the open door. He reached into himself and drew out the ki he usually kept hidden, allowing his to aura expand just to the edges of the platform. He then tapped into that part of himself, still not understanding how he trully did it. He could feel his body grow and change, the wings and tail stretching out of his back and fangs growing in his expanding jaw. He could feel his senses expand as his human genetics gave way to draconian traits. His eyes shifted into infrared and he scanned them around, noting several forms inside the stone walls of the castle, but only Akane and Hagrid nearby.

The forms had a different heat signature than he was used to, and he shifted his eyes again, taking a closer look until he recognized that he was looking into the kitchen and watching as the gathered house elves prepared the victory/consolation feast that followed each match. They were keeping track of the game on a five foot wide crystal ball that he guessed they used like a television slash security monitor.

Another form was sitting in a small room near the Potions dungeon, and was craddling a much smaller form in its arms. He again zoomed in, and noted that the figure belonged to the caretaker, Filch and his beloved cat, Mrs. Norris. He gave a faint shudder as the evil looking cat turned it's head and hissed in his direction. He was intensely grateful at the moment for having come to terms with his fears and was insanely glad to no longer fear the nekoken. Thanks to Akane, and his other personality fragments of Ranko and Tetsu-Ranma, he'd accepted that the nekoken was a part of himself. He still held a fear of cats, but it was nowhere near as intense as it had been and would not cause him to go into the nekoken. He had finally mastered the nekoken by mastering his fear and it was all thanks to the unconditional love of one Tendo Akane.

He gave a dragon smile to his mate, a rumbling purr that shook human bones starting in his chest as he looked down at his smiling mate and the awestruck giant. Using his onna voice, he spoke.

"So, what do you think, Hagrid?"

The giant approached slowly, wiping a tear from the corner of one eye. "Ye be a right fine dragon, Ranma me lad. Ye be the most beautiful thing I ever did see." He hesitantly reached out one huge hand, which seemed tiny to Ranma in his current form. He towered over the half-giant, being nearly 9 1/2 meters long. He'd grown rapidly and continued to grow. He didn't know how big he'd end up being, but Cologne mentioned that those with the Cold Dragon's gift usually grew to just over 15 meters. She couldn't guarantee that, for as in all things, there was the odd exception and a few had grown to over 25meters and one was even rumoured to have been close to 35meters. She'd also explained that the Cold Dragon's were unlike other dragons in several ways, including being the most intelligent species.

Ranma lowered his body and neck to rest on the smooth stones of the parapet. "Climb on, Akane." he called out, still using his female form's voice. As his mate scrambled up to sit between two of his neck ridges that she used to travel in, he turned his head to regard the giant. His head was half again as tall as Hagrid, and he could easily now take a full grown man standing upright in his mouth. "Hagrid, this transformation uses a lot of energy. Is there someplace nearby that I could hunt in? Where I wouldn't be spotted or at least, where I would not be too big of a shock."

Hagrid thought for a moment before smiling. "Aye, there be a hunting preserve about an hour by train to the south. It be owned by a nice wizarding couple who I was in school with. They also be serving muggles, but only later in the year. I'll give ye a token that they'd be knowing and den they be letting you hunt for yer dinner. Tell 'im to bill the school. Don't ye be fretting o'er de cost, we's be more than able to pay for it, and it ye insist on payin', ye can settle with Dumbledore later. Now, be off wit' ye. I's glad to see yer dragon form again, Ranma, but I's best be off to watch the match. I don't wan' miss if 'arry catches the Snitch." He looked through his pockets for a moment before a pleased look came over his face. He held his hand out to Akane, who placed her's under his. He carefully opened his hand and a gold pocket watch, much too small for someone of his remarkable size, slid out to hang dangling from the chain. He placed it carefully in Akane's hands. "Tis me fathers. I've had it since I came to Hogwarts. 'Tis one of the few ting's left me when 'e died."

Akane bowed as well as she could from her seated position. "I will guard it with my life and return it to you upon our return, Hagrid." she vowed.

Hagrid grinned and waved them to head out. He stood in the doorway as Ranma spread his wings and leapt into the air. The wind gushed around him as Ranma's massive wings flashed. The wind would have knocked over any lesser being, but Hagrid was far from fragile and withstood the galeforce winds as though they were no more than a faint stirring in the air.

Smiling to himself, he made his way through the empty halls and out the door of the castle, heading to the pitch for the rest of the match. He was touched that Ranma had again allowed him to see his most closely guarded secret.

Harry squinted as a bright flash of light distracted him from his search for the elusive Snitch. He tried in vain to try and see what had attracted his attention, but all he could see was the castle. Frowning, he wondered if he'd be able to zoom over for a closer look, just to be safe, but then a thought occured to him. Glancing into the Gryffindor stands, he searched until he found Hermione, who was watching the game through a pair of omniculars. It was one of the three which he'd bought during the World Cup the summer before 4th year. He had forgotten all about them until Ron had unearthed them from his trunk earlier that week.

Zooming down towards her, he noted the Ravenclaw seeker, Cho Chan, following him to see if he had spotted the Snitch. He grinned at her and shook his head, indicating that he hadn't seen it. She nodded and zoomed off to search for it. He approached the stands and hovered near his friend, who had spotted him and lowered the magical glasses.

"Harry! What are you doing? Get the snitch before Cho does! Gryffindor only has a 60 point lead, if she catches it, Ravenclaw will win." She exclaimed crossly.

Harry frowned. "Never mind. Something is happening at the castle. I need to borrow the omnicculars."

Frowning, Hermione handed them over, wondering what could possibly draw Harry's attention away from a Quidditch match. She watched as he fiddled with the dials before zooming up to get a better angle on the school. She turned her head to try and see what was going on, but they were too far away for her to make out anything.

Harry peered through the lenses, zooming in on the spot where he'd seen the flash of light. A moment of shock coursed through him and he nearly fell off his broom. Fear coursed through him as he recalled the last time he'd seen one of the creatures that was standing on the roof of the school. Controlling his fear, he intensified the magnification and froze as he noted the large familiar form of Hagrid talking to the great blue dragon.

He must have been immune to further shocks, for upon closer examination, he noticed a female form sitting astride the sinous neck of the glistening dragon. The figure reached down and accepted something from Hagrid, and now curiosity took over. He maxed out the zoom and stared at the familiar face of Akane looking down from her seat on the dragon's neck. He scanned the roof, trying to find Ranma, but could spot the pigtailed martial artist nowhere.

With numb fingers, he lowered the glasses as a terrible thought occured to him. He raised them again to watch as Hagrid strode away from the dragon and his lady. He swallowed as realization coursed through him. He stared through the lenses as the dragon leapt nearly its own height before the great wings swept down, sending the huge mass higher. The wings continued to flap, as the dragon turned a circle over the castle and let out a roar, wich was feint in the breeze. The form turned and headed away from the Quidditch pitch and Harry carefully guided his broom down to Hermione, who was tapping her foot and glaring impatiently at him.

He ignored her question with terse "Later. I'll explain later." and handed her the omnicculars. He turned his mind away from all thoughts of the dragon and scanned the field, searching for the Snitch and Cho Chan. He spotted both near the Ravenclaw goal, and nudged his broom towards it. The Snitch was heading away from that part of the field, with Cho chasing it valiantly. She was able to keep close, but her broom wasn't fast enough to close the 3 meter gap between it and her.

He angled his approach to cross their line of flight and leaned forward, increasing his speed. He soared through the air, for once not noticing the intoxicating feeling of freedom he always felt when flying. He rose slightly above the Snitch as he approached, not wanting to risk colliding with the pretty Ravenclaw. As he came nearer, he spun on the axis of the broom and released it with his hands, now hanging hanging head towards the ground. He stuck his gloved hand out and grinned as the Snitch flew into it. Still holding it in his grip, he grasped the broom with his other hand, and with a deft move, spun to sit upright, not hearing the whistle ending the match over the crowd's roar.

As he was surrounded by his teammates for their celebratory congratulations, he wondered how he was supposed to tell his friends that he suspected that the great blue dragon he'd seen was their friend and sensei, Ranma Saotome.


	11. Section 11

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

Don't mind me, just addressing a few ideas or questions that came up with reviews I didn't have time to address with earlier sections. If you don't want to read, skip ahead by searching for 'left off' in the search feature of edit or view in your browser.

C.Rose asked :What in the world possessed Akane to just walk over to Hermione and start talking to her? oo it's like a moth to the flame or something.

Answer: Auras. She scanned the crowd for an aura that indicated curiousity and also indicated someone of strong character. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were all sitting together, and you can bet their auras would attract the attention of people with Ranma and Akane's skills.

nuclear death frog : I appreciate that you took the time to read my story and write a review, but I find that you were unduly harsh. I can accept that there are errors in my story and that I have made mistakes, but the manner in which you chose to air your concerns was inappropriate. If you wished to trully advise me of the problems you had, you could have emailed me instead of posting the review. I am more than eager to accept help from anyone who trully wishes to help me improve my story, but you seemed to simply post in order to be negative. Now, I'll address a few points you made:

2:) Fred and George- This is AU and I can have them where I want! I never said they were only a year older, just one grade higher. Consider that they failed one year because of their pranks.

3:) FOWL- What similarities? Unless you are talking about OWL being the Pre-SAT's and the NEWT being the SAT's? Which are American tests and not British, which is what she's basing the school system on seeing as she is British. I added the FOWL test for 7th year as the final school exams. It is the final test that you take to see if you are to be allowed to continue your education or enter the work force.

4:) Sirius- It is stated in the books that Dumbledore has a great deal of influence outside the school in the wizarding community. He seems to be the head of several international organizations. He was even asked to take the job as Minister of Magic. Which is in the British ministry. He refused and Fudge was named in his place, with his backing. Since then, Fudge has been working behind Dumbledore to try and prove himself better. If something serious happened at the school that had people start questioning his position, he would try and cover himself, which he did by sending Umbridge to the school. I did stretch his power over the hiring policies, but is Sirius any more unusual than his getting a famous celebrity like Lockhart, a werewolf in Remus, or a retired Auror like Moody? Then there's Snape, who was a death eater! I think that's a little more unlikely than Sirius.

5:)Malfoy using the Cruciatus- You really think he hasn't been getting lessons from his parents and their DEATH EATER friends? He's likely spending his summers learning all kinds of tricks that aren't taught because of their . . .evil nature.

In your second review you mentioned spelling mistakes. I'm sure there are some, as much as I tried not to leave any in. But to single me out? I've read literally hundreds of fics in dozens of series, and I've seen spellings that would leave you crying like a little girl (no offense to any little girls out there, but you understand what I mean? Right?). As for the exploit's, you must not read/watch much of Ranma. How many times have they had to deal with a variety of magical objects, ghouls, ghosts, and oni? You really think that a wizarding community would be ignorant of such powerful effects due to beings like Saffron or the Musk? They might not be common knowledge in that part of the world, but you can bet that some members in authority would be aware of anything that could affect or expose the wizarding world.

Crimson Shadow: What can I say? That was one of the most informative reviews I've seen and I want to thank you. I am sorry that I couldn't have Kiima as the second Sensei, but I do plan for her to appear somewhere in here. And Konatsu and Ukyo are off on their own little journey.

TheOtherGuyNamedJoe: Have you ever trained in the Saotome/Tendo school for a solid year? People tend to overlook how good Akane is since so many of the characters in Ranma are so far beyond her. But there are glimpses of her talent/potential littered throughout the manga and anime. At the start of this, she is at Ranma's level aournd the time just before he encounters Haabu for the first time. I've taken it that it takes a certain level of skill to control the curses, but that the level isn't as high as Ranma's. His control came as a result fo the stress due to his becoming a dragon. But it doesn't have anything to do with being a dragon. Otherwise, anyone who gained control of the curse, would be a dragon. I see it more as now that people know it's possible to control the curse, more people are gaining that ability. I would say that he could have controlled the curse earlier, but they did not know that it was possible! Now that they know, more people are trying to control it instead of simply avoiding it or trying to cure it.

The story will take a slightly more adult tone for both adult situations and violence, but I will not be writting anything too explicit. More Lime than lemon. So this chapter would be R rated.

This one takes up only a few minutes after the other previous left off.

Ranma dipped low over the treetops. He rarely got the chance to let loose and travel in this form. He usually had to fly above the cloud cover, but below the flight paths of the high volume of air traffic around Japan's seaside. It was much more enjoyable to fly a couple dozen meters above ground, especially when carrying a passenger. Akane loved flying though she often wished that they could do so without fear of being attacked by some over zealous bureaucrats paranoia. A missile strike likely wouldn't harm Ranma, but it would force Ranma to retaliate, and that was something no one wished to see.

A feint breeze came to his sensitive nostrils at the same time as his enhanced hearing picked up the familiar sounds of hoofs clomping around in a large herd. Turning his head to the sound, he zoomed in with his vision, immediately recognizing the building Hagrid had described to them. He turned slightly to put them on a direct path to the farmhouse and hunting resort. The scents coming to him were mainly cattle, though he did pick out a few exotic animal scents that caused his draconian mouth to water.

He landed carefully, gliding down easily, as opposed to the hard rush of an attack run or speed landing. He lowered his neck and purred deep in his throat as Akane slid down his scales. He watched as she slowly approached the armed and frightened owners, who had seen them coming and armed themselves as best they could with curious mix of magical and muggle weapons. He heard clearly as Akane introduced them, and could see the hairs on their host's hands as he accepted the watch Hagrid had provided as proof of their intentions. The owner studied the watch before a smile broke out on his face, and he embraced Akane. Ranma could clearly hear him exclaim that any friend of Hagrid's was a friend of theirs and grinned. He tuned out of the conversation as Akane and the owner talked about payment for the amount Ranma would require.

Ranma flashed a grin, as he yawned, the heat of the sun on his back warming him, even as the cool air of winter swirled around his large body. He caught a faint surge of fear run through the auras of the owners, but he turned his head away and covered the mouth with one his forehands. His hands were disproportionately small to the rest of his body while his back feet were much larger in comparison.

He turned back as he sensed Akane returning to him. Again using his female voice so as not to further frighten their hosts, he asked "So, everything set?"

Akane flashed him the smile that always warmed his heart. "There's a field two miles to the east. It has cows in it. It's a working farm that he owns. If you don't mind waiting, he'll head over in a truck and bring back a pair of his older cattle for you. If you want a quick bite while he's gone, there's a field we flew over that has several various animals in it. It's got a magical enchantement that keeps all the animals from escaping, but you should be able to get a good workout hunting something down. If you'd prefer fish, there's a large lake in the field with all kinds of different fish."

Ranma mulled it over. He'd like a chance to test his hunting skills, but he was really hungry. "Tell him to hurry on the cattle, and I'll try and hunt something up before taking a stab at fishing." he told her. She again flashed her smile at him and went back to the man, who was holding back a curious child. The man looked at him and nodded, then started to back away slowly. He went to the left, where Ranma could smell the odorous fumes of gasoline and engine grease. A moment later, the low rumbling of a high powered diesel engine roared into life from the interior of the garage. He watched as the powerful cattle-hauler pulled away and onto the dirt road, heading towards the nearby farm to fetch the main course of his supper.

A scratching on his scales attracted to his attention and he turned his massive head slowly, pivoting it on his long neck to bring one eye to bear on the source of the sensations. He was not surprised to see the child rubbing his hard scales and tryin to press them inward. His other eye noticed Akane talking to the child's mother. The woman was wearing the robes of typical member of the wizarding community, and was holding a wand in one hand, and a powerful looking shotgun in the other. He withheld his chuckle at the odd sight, not wishing to raise her anxiety levels any more than they already were.

The child looked up at his face calmly. "Yer a dragon'! And yer real! Me friends say they seen dragons at the school, but I's not belivin' 'em 'til now." There was a mixture of awe and wonder in the voice.

"Dragons are real enough, child." Ranma stated, allowing his voice to take on the masculine tones of his male form. "Though there is only one other like me. Most be dangerous beasts, and only a handful be capable of speech." He kept watch on the child as he noted Akane and the child's mother approaching with the other. The woman had put away the wand and left the shotgun on a rack built on the side of the porch. "Greetings, ma'am. I am Saotome Ranma. You've met my mate, Akane. I would like to express my thanks for this opportunity. I am only recently become dragon, and have not often had the opportunity to use my form's natural instincts."

The woman blushed and waved his thanks away. " 'Twer nothing, really, Sir Dragon. 'Tis a huntin' preserve, and ye be a hunter is all."

"Still, it was kind of you not to panic when seeing me. Though dragons are real, they are not a common sight for populated lands such as these. You showed great courage by withholding your spells and gun fire."

The woman snorted. " 'Twas hardly courage, Sir Dragon. We be petrified by fear. Even when yer lady came to us, we not able to do nothin' 'til she spoke and showed us 'agrid's watch."

They spoke for a while, just passing the time until her husband returned. She explained that she was a witch, and her husband a muggle. They'd met when he'd noticed odd happenings in his woods and gone to investigate. Her name was Holly Johnson, and her husband was Charles. They had three children, the elder two away at school, while the youngest was still here. The child's name was Harold, and she explained that he'd always been fascinated with dragons. His elder brother, Michael, was currently finishing his animal husbandry degree and was studying dragon breeding in Romania with his friend Charlie Weasley. This brought a chuckle out of Ranma and Akane, who explained that they were friends with Charlie's younger siblings.

They were all having a good time comparing the current Weasley generation's antics with those of the previous one, with whom Holly had attended Hogwarts. The truck pulled up ten minutes after it left, and Charles stepped out as the engine sputtered out. There were various cattle sounds coming from the back.

"So, 'as it all been settled, then? 'de dragon's gonna go get a bit of 'xercise in then stop by to get me cows?" he asked, his accent straining the bounds of the spell allowing Akane and Ranma to understand the language.

Akane grinned gave a quick nod. "Yes, sir. Ranma's going to head over to the preserve for his excercise and snack. Holly offered to show me some of the special animals you have here while he's doing that and Harold's going to show me his dragon collection."

Her smile worked as well on the British as it did on the Japanese, Ranma thought to himself as he noticed the faintly hostile aura of Charles Johnson fade to a more subdued contentment. "I suggest you all get on the porch. I'm going to take off faster than I landed." he warned, then waited until they took cover in the small structure.

He stretched his wings and leapt, flapping as soon as his feet left the ground. His wings scrapped the ground as they pushed him higher into the air. He drew them up quickly along the sides of his body, then swung them down again before he had time to fall more than a foot towards the ground. Within seconds, he was several hungdred feet above ground and starting to move forward in the direction he'd been pointed.

Harry hurriedly removed his Quidditch robes and equipment, dropping them messily on the bench before his locker. The Quidditch locker rooms were coed, and the female members of the team had a privacy curtain near their row of lockers that afforded them a small measure of privacy. The showers, however, were open styled and everyone piled in together usually, ignoring such trivial matters as gender. This time, Harry stripped his robes off and hurried through his cleaning, wanting to talk to Ron and Hermione as soon as possible about what he'd seen with the omnicculars.

Before handing them to Hermione, he'd asked her to save the current images and not record any of the game. He'd also requested that she not view the images until he had a chance to speak to her, and judging from the fact that she wasn't here waiting for him, badgering while he treid to shower and dress, he guessed that she had listened to him.

He dried off quickly, and pulled on his troussers and a thin undershirt while waiting impatiently for Ron to finish his shower and join him.

"Harry, what was the hurry with borrowing the omnicculars and not letting me use them to see the game. I missed catching your spectacular approach on the Snitch. That was the best catch I've ever seen!" Harry grinned as he heard the rush of words from behind him. He closed his locker door and turned to face his friend.

"Hello, Hermione. I see you managed to get in. I thought the team locker rooms were guarded agaisnt people coming in." Harry stated drily.

Hermione opened her mouth to explain, but froze as she spied the twins and Ron coming out of the showers. Her eyes grew wide as saucers as the twins peeled off from their younger brother's side and went down another row, while Ron came over towards the one she and Harry were in. All three of the Weasley boys were as naked as the day they were born, and Hermione had a very good look at their assets. Blushing as red as their hair, she spun and turned her back on the boy. "RONALD! What are you doing? Do you always parade around naked in the locker room?"

It was Ron's turn to freeze as he caught sight of Hermione next to Harry. "Bloody Hell, Hermione! What by the dragon's first egg are you doing here?" He looked around frantically for something to cover himself until Harry took pity on him and threw him a towel. Ron flashed him a sickly grin of thanks and wrapped it around his waist.

"I came to talk to Harry, about something that happened. I wasn't expecting you to be . .. for everyone to be. . .. to... . I wasn't expecting to see you naked. Not that I think there's anything wrong with you naked, but . .. not that I wanted to see you naked or thought about how you looked naked .. . oh hell." Hermione paused to take a moment to calm her nerves. The sight of her friend and his brothers in the state nature intended them had shaken her deeply. She'd had a mild crush on both Ron and Harry for years, though lately she'd started to feel more towards Ron. Seeing him nude like this, all wet and freshly scrubbed was a shock to her system. Glancing over her shoulder, she felt a flare of disappointment that she squashed. She could think about Ron later, they had something else to discuss.

"During the match, Harry saw something and borrowed my omnicculars. He said he'd explain what he saw through them and show us the images he captured." A sound from behind them distracted her again, and she glanced over her shoulder in time to catch Angelina and Katie, the two females on the Gryffindor team, come striding out of the showers, also as naked as the day they'd been born. She whipped around to stare at them as they calmly walked around the short wall separating the showers from the locker room. "Katie! Angelina! What are you doing in here!" she demanded.

The pair looked up and smilled as they spotted their housemate. "Hermione! Glad to see you. How'd you get in past the wards?" Katie asked as she and Angelina came over and joined the trio.

"How'd I get in? Who cares! What are the two of you doing in here starkers?" Hermione demanded hearing snickers from behind, she turned to stare at her friends. "Will you two turn away?"

The girls looked at each other and sighed. They'd forgotten that most of the school wasn't aware of the fact that the houses had co-ed locker rooms. Angelina reached into a nearby locker and took out a pair of robes, which they wrapped around themselves.

"Sorry, Hermione, we forgot that most of the school doesn't know about the locker rooms." Katie stated as she took a seat on the bench across from Harry and the others. Angelina sat beside her. the action forced Hermione to sit and Ron hurriedly drew on a pair of trousers while Harry cleaned his glasses, watching them all amusedly.

"See, Hermione, while Hogwarts is massive, they only had limited space in which to add all the modern conveniences like showers and plumbing. So, they could only 4 rooms for use by the Quidditch teams. That means that they had to be co-ed. The teams kept quiet, since they knew that the rest of the school wouldn't understand. Since the teams are mixed, so are the lockers. Nobody really cares, since we're all mature enough to not bothered by it. Sure, we all walk around naked, but only to and from the showers. It isn't like we're all shagging in here like packs of bunnies."

Hermione threw another glare at the snickering Harry. "How long has this been going on? I mean, how can you be so comfortable being naked around . .. well around all the boys."

Katie shrugged. "Practice. You do it the first time as a dare, and then you have the advantage, since boys aren't able to hide their reactions as well as girls. We don't have as much of a problem as some of the boys do. Some have had to quit since they weren't able to handle being in a room naked, with girls in the room also naked."

"After all, girls bodies are beautiful, Hermione. A naked guy is pretty funny to look at, if you're not too busy shagging with him to pay attention." Angelina explained. "That's why the guys have so many problems. They're jealous that we're not as obvious as them."

Katie noticed the glazed look come over Hermione's eyes and nudged her friend. "Look, we can talk about this later. You came in for a reason, Hermione, and we have to get dressed." she and Angelina stood and made their way back down the row, throwing the robes back into the locker they'd taken them from. As they rounded the corner to the next row, Katie looked back at the trio. "Oh, Hermione. Thanks for the plays. They worked brilliantly." Smilling, she and Angelina made their way to their lockers, which were next to the twins.

Hermione snapped out of her stupor and turned to face her friends. "You could have told me you know?" she accused them.

Harry and Ron glanced at each other and shrugged. "Sorry, Hermione, but we were told to never mention anything about it. What happens in the locker room, stays in the locker room."

Sighing at the stupidity of the male mind that must have come up with that rule, she turned her attention back to the reason she'd been here in the first place. "Enough of that now. I want to talk about what Harry saw. Tell us, Harry. What did you see?"

Harry replaced his glasses and took the omnicular's from Hermione's hands. He reround it to the spot, and showed it to Ron and Hermione. "Notice anything mising?"

Ron and Hermione watched the scene Harry had been witness to. "What's Hagrid and Akane doing on the roof of the school with a dragon?" Ron asked.

Before Harry could give a reply, Hermoine added a question of her own. "Never mind that, why does it seem like the dragon is TALKING to them and why aren't they scared of it? It must be huge! It makes Hagrid seem tiny."

Harry flashed a grin. "I think that dragon is RANMA." he stated excitedly. "I believe he's somehow found a way to transform himself into a dragon."

Ron looked at him disbelievingly. "So you think he's an Animagus?"

Hermione replied for Harry. "Can't be. He doesn't know enough magic. Animagi are all very powerful wizards, Ron. Ranma isn't very good at magic. It's something else."

Harry nodded at Hermione's reply. " 'mione's right, Ron. Ranma's no good at magic. No, I think this is what he keeps hinting at. Remember how he's always going on about how powerful a martial artist can become? That someone can become so powerful, they outgrow their bodies. I think that's what he's done. He's become so good and so powerful a martial artist, that he was forced to grow into a body strong enough to hold his energy."

"So . . .you're saying that Ranma become so strong as a martial artist that he turned into a dragon?" Ron asked. Seeing the excited nod from Harry, and the smaller nod from Hermione, he sighed. "Do you think Akane's one too?"

Hermione again answered the question before Harry. "No. She can't be. At least, not yet. Otherwise, why is she ridding Ranma?"

Ron grinned at the word choice. "Well, Hermione, they are married. Maybe she likes riding Ranma?"

Realizing the double entendre of her own words and seeing a flash in her mind of a naked Ron asking her if she wanted a ride, she flushed even deeper than the red of Ron's hair. "Ronald Weasley! What has gotten into you?"

"Sorry, 'mione. I couldn't resist teasing you. You must be right though. Akane can't become a dragon yet, but she must be close. Maybe they're gone to find someplace for her to try?"

Harry frowned. "Actually, from what I read for the Triwizard cup, dragon's require a lot of energy. Maybe transforming like that takes a lot out of Ranma. They might have gone to find him something to eat."

A thought occured to Hermione. "But where would they go to find something for a dragon as large as Ranma looks to eat?"


	12. Section 12

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

I had people asking for confrontations. So I'm starting to work on some things with this chapter.

Oh, before I forget. Anyone who likes Shampoo, you will probably not like what's about to happen.

Someone mentioned that they didn't like that Ranma's dragon form had wings. Especially since I was basing my story on 'Comes the Cold Dragon'. Well, this is why I stated that my story was not a direct continuation of CtCD, especially since CtCD is not finished yet. CtCD is far from the only fic I've read where Ranma was a dragon, and since I am more familiar with the western style dragon that even while I read CtCD, I had a western dragon image in my mind, that is what I am writting Ranma as.

I'll give you a sneak peek at something I have planned. I mentioned earlier that Harry wasn't going to be taking part in the tournament for the martial arts classes at the end of the school year because I had other plans for him. I will say that his familliarity with dragons will be called on, and getting over his fear of them by having him spend time with Ranma's dragon form is needed in order for him to survive.

Shampoo snarled to herself as she had to duck to avoid being spotted. She hated this place. She hated the people and how they treated her. She hated how they thought themselves so superior because of a few tricks they were able to do. She was an Amazon warrior, trained since she took her first steps in skills and magic that few if any of the idiotic students at this damn school could even imagine.

She had been embarrassed when her GreatGrandmother told her that she had to do what the teachers here told her. She knew more about most of the subjects then these fools would learn in a decade. Potions, Herbology, Healing. She'd learned techniques and methods that would cause the teachers here to drool in envy the way the boys drooled over her form.

She peeked around the corner, and grinned nastily to herself. Ranma's friends were talking about that idiotic game that had been played the day before. She snorted as she recalled the games they had played in the village. If these fools wanted true athletic contest, they should try the games they had taught in the village. But even that wasn't the same, now. Now, they had abandoned their rightful homes and moved to some damned rock Ranma and Haabu had raised from the ocean floor. She hated that they had left their homes without a fight. They should have never abandoned the ancestral homeland because of those fools in the PRA.

With Ranma and Haabu on their side, and Saffron obeying their orders, they could have destroyed those fools in Beijing and liberated the women of China. During her chase of Ranma, she'd noted the plight of the Chinese women and how they were treated as second class citizens or slaves by the males. She had made a promise to herself that once she found and killed the outsider female, she would go back to the village and lead her fellow warriors against the evil patriarchal society that ruled China. She would return the Amazons to their proper place as leaders in the world, and eventually spread Amazon rule to emcompass the world.

That dream had changed when she'd learned that the girl she had been chasing was really a mere boy. A handsome, powerful boy, true, but nothing more than another idiotic male, not different really than Mu Tsu or the other boys in the village. So she pretended to chase the boy for different reasons, knowing that she could use his strength and skill in her plans. Then that fool Saffron had to take his woman and treat her with such disrespect, causing Ranma to access a deeper power that was hidden within them all but that so few would ever access. Ranma had grown into the Cold Dragon, an ancient tale she had never believed until she witnessed Ranma's transformation herself.

How she hated Ranma. True, she had made the decision to act like a gaijin bimbo herself, but it was Ranma who had forced her hand in doing so. If he and his useless father had never gone to the village, she would never have had to leave to follow them. She would have been able to finally deal with Mu Tsu and his ennoying habits. She would not have been forced to allow filthy Japanese men to grope her as she waited on them in that tiny restaurant. She could have remained in her home and lived the life she deserved as a true Amazon, instead of the filthy perversion she'd been forced to become.

Now, she bided her time. Secretly following Ranma's friends and listening to their discussions. She needed an ally. Someone powerful in these parts of the world. Someone who wouldn't let something silly like morality and laws get in the way of doing what needed to be done. And from what she had learned, this man these foolish people refused to name, this Voldemort, was the person she was looking for. But, from what she'd overheard from the people in her 'house', Voldemort wanted this boy, this Harry. If she could bring the boy to Harry, Voldemort would do anything to repay her.

So now, she followed the boy and his friends. Learning their habits and ways in which she could manipulate them the way she had her GreatGrandmother and the fools during her time in Nerima. She'd already learned some interesting things about some of the fools. Now, she needed some more information about Harry and those closest to him. And she had to gather this knowledge while avoiding Mu Tsu, her grandmother, and the hated Ranma.

Harry frowned, looking around. He had had the oddest feeling lately. Like he was being watched. But he could never spot the watcher, no matter what. He'd even used mirrors and other reflective surfaces, but all he ever saw was an odd looking bird. He thought it was a duck. He ignored the bird. Most of the students used owls, but he'd seen a few who had hawks, ravens, and even one or two who had magical creatures like flying monkeys or winged cats. Compared to those, a duck was rather ordinary.

Shrugging, he made his way through the crowd of first and second year students, ignoring the whispers in his wake as they recognized him. The only good thing about being recognized now was that people knew who he was for more than the scar on his forehead. Being the youngest to compete in the TriWizard Tournament and winning it and the noterity of the events of the last few years, he was famous for more than simply being the 'boy-who-lived'.

People came to him now to ask how he had won the Tournament, or to ask about a play he'd made during a Quidditch game. Some even came for advice about courses and dealing with some of the daily problems that occured at a school of this type. He'd become something of a tutor, despite not getting the highest marks in all courses. Hermione was far beyond him, but she'd shown little ability to transmit her knowledge to the younger students. She didn't have the patience for teaching, while Harry was beginning to find that he had a knack for it. Already he'd helped some 2nd and 3rd year students up their marks in some courses a half grade or more.

He was on his way to a session with the Creevy brother's and some of their friends from Hufflepuff. While not technically part of the HarHarTu training, he would be helping them work on a few simple disarming and binding charms. He was trying to avoid Slytherins, since they'd taken great delight in blocking his way. Since the rules strictly forbid fights or use of magic in the halls, the Slytherins had started to gather in groups and subtly block the path of anyone who got in their way. He sighed at the immaturity of Slytherins as he paused to allow a pair of 1st years to scamper across the hall while he waited for the stairs to turn up to his level.

He winced as one of the boys accidently elbowed him on the way past, scoring on one of the many reminders of the training sessions under Akane's tutelage. He sometimes wondered what the benefit of daily beatings and working to exhaustion were, but even he had noticed that he was having an even easier time during the Quidditch practices and games. His balance on the broom had improved and so had his ability to direct the flight. He didn't have to strain as hard to pull the broom around during a match and he'd found himself having an easier time while reaching for the snitch as well.

In previous years, he'd had to carefully balance and hold on at the same time while reaching out tentatively for the small golden streak. Now though, he could shift himself on the broom with more ease and more aggressively. Privately, he had started comparing himself to some of the Seeker's he'd seen at the Quidditch World Cup, including Krum and Lynch. He thought that he was now able to match up on an almost even level with Lynch, and by the end of the year, he might be equal to Krum.

The stairs finally swung into place and he quickly made his way down to the first level and the waiting Creevy's. He nodded at the pair and gave their companions a grin, only mildly surprised to note that the girls were older than he had thought. "Hi Dennis, Colin. Who are these two?"

Colin grinned wildly, eagerly starting up his now trademark running speech. "Hiya Harry. This is my cousin Luna Lovegood and her roomate Jessica Fletcher. Luna and Jessica are having some problems with Professor Umbridge and how she's restricing the courses and keep getting detentions and whatnot. So I mentioned that you were teaching some of us a few tricks, and they asked to join in. Luna's father, my uncle Luke, well, he owns and runs an independant paper and he's seen things that disagree with what the Ministry is releasing to the public and asked Luna to try and see if you would be willing to answer a few questions he has. Nothing for print, yet anyway, but he want's to know if he's on the right track with some of his suspicions about some people. People with a lot of influence and power in the ranks of the Ministry and other agencies that have authority over the wizarding community."

Harry blinked, trying to muddle his way to understanding the string of words Colin had just blurted out. The meanings of the statement got to him and he had to exert some control to keep his face from settling into a frown. "We'll, I'm not sure I really want to say anything to a reporter after what the Prophet has been saying about me, but it might be worth it. As for Umbridge, all I can say is just go along with her while in class, and do your own thing when the slug isn't around. That's what we Gryffindor's are doing. Though she hasn't really come down on our course loads as much as she has Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. So, if you really do want to learn a bit about how to better defend yourself, you're welcome to join us." Harry was getting a weird vibe from the girl Colin had named as Luna.

Something about her was different, almost like she wasn't as young or as inexperienced as she seemed. He shrugged the feeling off, not too concerned. "I'll have Hermione add you to the roll and get you the passwords for our meeting rooms. She'll also get you a schedule." He looked around, the feeling of being watched growing and he glanced around slowly, again noting only the duck quacking after a dark haired Slytherin girl and not noticing the white and purple furred cat that was hidding behind a potted palm.

The quintet made it's way out of the hall towards the library, where Harry would give the pair some quick pointers on the right books to study and which ones to avoid. Harry never even noticed that Luna had noted his search and looked around with him, a serious and guarded look on her face.

Luna Lovegood was, much as Harry's subconcious had pointed out, not as inexperienced as she seemed. In fact, she was not Luna Lovegood. Her name was really Nymphadora Tonks and she was an Auror. She was a metamorphmagi, one of a rather rare breed of magicial being who had the inherited ability to transform her shape at will. She had the ability to become any one. To transform any part of herself in both size, color, and shape. One minute she could be a 15 year old blond, with an almost dreamy air about her and the next, she could be a 7foot tall black man with muscles the size of her current waist. Few where the people who had known her true self, for she'd been altering her appearance for so long it was second nature to her now.

From a very young age, even before coming to Hogwarts for her true schooling, she had tweaked her appearance, usually with wild hair colors or overblown proportions. It had started as a game really, a way to fight back against the embarrassing normality of her family. Sure, one side of her family would gladly kill and torture the other side while that side didn't even know the other existened, but that was hardly unusual. She was far from the first person to be born from a muggle father and wizarding mother or viceversa.

Her mother, born Andromeda Black, was a member of a very old and well connected PureBlood family. Her father, Ted Tonks, was as muggle born as anyone. They had met one summer, while Andromeda and her sisters were 'mudding it', as some wizarding families called it whenever they had to interact with muggles. Andromeda was something of an odd duck in her family, not sharing in their disgust for the magically inept. They had felt a connection immediately, and had spent most of the summer sneaking around. By the end of the year, Andromeda had made her choice. She had visited Gringotts, transfered her personal accounts, and she and Ted had ran off and gotten married. She had never again contacted any in the family save Sirius, another white sheep on the Black family tree.

As these things usually went, she had been born not long after. She was raised in a mostly muggle home, and had attended muggle schools, even after clearly demonstrating her magical gifts. In time, she received her Hogwart's letter and eagerly looked forward to meeting other like herself. Only, she learned that no one else had her skill at metamorphmagi. Except for that trait, she had been a rather average student, though she has skilled enough to meet all the requirements for her chosen profession. After completing her final year, she had been hired immediately by the ministry as an Auror, putting her natural talent for disguise to good use in tracking down criminals. She'd even been sent after the occassional muggle criminal.

She had spent a rushed year in training, while most others struggled through the 3 year training course for Aurors. After which she had been sent on several solo missions in order to perfect her skills. Over time, she had turned a tendancy towards clumsiness into a rather effective guise. Who would think that the pink haired teen tripping over her own feet would be the same person who had been following them for days? Or that the blind beggar sitting pityingly in ragged bundles had tracked you down and was preparing to take you into custody?

She had been trained by the best of the best, Mad-Eye Moody and his two most trusted students: Kingsley Shacklebot and Emaline Vance. She hadn't known at the time, but she had been rushed through training for a very specific reason. A reason that was now to come to fruition. Her entire education and training had been geared to make her the perfect person to guide and protect the boy-who-lived, Harry Potter. She had heard the stories about Harry while she was in school, but like many, didn't know what to believe. Until one day, while sitting at the house table listening to the seemingly endless line of students being sorted, she and everyone else had heard a name that sent odd shivers down her spine: Harry Potter.

She had watched as the young boy made his way from among the throng of 1st years to the sorting hat and clapped politely when it sorted him into Gryffindor. She had felt a vague disappointment though. She had felt a kinship with the boy, having heard that he had been raised by muggle relatives who were not fond of him. Though she had rarely met her relatives, she had always felt awkward in their presence. There were a number of them here, as a matter of fact, and they ignored her except when they were teasing her about her muggle born father.

Over the next two years, she had watched the events surrounding Harry as best she could with her tight schedule. Something had prodded her to try and meet him, to get to know him and offer her friendship, but the opportunity had never arrison. So she had graduated three years before without even speaking to him, though she had spent a great deal of what little free time she had keeping up with the gossip about his adventures.

After her last harrowing training assignment under the direct supervision of Kingsley, she had been called to Auror headquarters for reassignment. She had been surprised to see the ancient wizard in the office. She had greeted her former Headmaster politely, all the while wondering what was going on. She gave a silent chuckle as she recalled the conversation that had taken place.

FLASHBACK

"Excuse me, sir, Professor, but what exactly am I doing here? I mean, I graduated two years ago. I'm pretty sure I didn't have any outstanding homework or detentions, did I?" she had asked.

Both Mad-Eye and Dumbledore had chuckled at her questions. "No, Ms. Tonks, that is not why I requested this meeting. Certain recent events have forced me to reassess the safety of the students in my care. I have come to Moody here and asked him for advice on what I can do to insure that Hogwarts remains the safe haven it has been for the children of our community. And he had a rather interesting idea."

She had looked at the battle scarred Auror, taking little notice of the magically replaced eye or the wooden leg. She knew how powerful and skilled Moody was, and how intelligent and cunning he could be. She could only guess that whatever he had in mind would have to have something to do with her metamorph talents, as she was an otherwise only slightly above average witch. "So what's the assignment, sir?" she asked, deciding to get straight to the point. She also shifted her form to something more appropriate, becoming a little older than her true age and transfiguring her casual clothing to dress robes.

Mad-Eye shared a look with Dumbledore, who tilted his head in acknowledgement. "How do you feel about going back to school?"

END FLASHBACK

She shook her head and took a moment to once again put on the mental guise of Luna. Luna was an actual person who had tragically died the year before during a trip with her father to Canada to search for the elusive Bigfoot that was said to roam the NorthAmerican westcoast. Luna and her father had been her neighbours for years. She had been close to the younger girl, and had occassionaly taken her form to tease other friends and Luna's cousins. So she was familiar with her mannerisms and personality. Before taking her form for the year, she had spoken to Luke Lovegood. Even through his grief, he had understood immediately what was going on and had approved her use of his beloved daughter's form. He agreed to vouch for her, put only providing she could help him prove that Harry Potter was right and that Voldemort was back.

She had promised to find away to stick to Harry and gain his confidence to help get proof about the return of the evil wizard. Now, thanks to Luna's cousins the Creevy brothers, she had finally met Harry. And, taking a discrete look of his form, she was more impressed than she would have thought. She was really looking forward to getting to know him.


	13. Section 13

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

I had people asking for confrontations. So I'm starting to work on some things with this chapter.

Someone mentioned that they didn't like that Ranma's dragon form had wings. Especially since I was basing my story on 'Comes the Cold Dragon'. Well, this is why I stated that my story was not a direct continuation of CtCD, especially since CtCD is not finished yet. CtCD is far from the only fic I've read where Ranma was a dragon, and since I am more familiar with the western style dragon that even while I read CtCD, I had a western dragon image in my mind, that is what I am writting Ranma as.

A lot more introspection and self evalutation, but I'm working on confrontations.

Harry carefully put down the book he was reading and removed his glasses. He rubbed his face tiredly before replacing the hated spectacles but did not take the book back in hand. Instead he took a drink and a cookie from the small platter on the table next to his chair and studied his companions in the flickering light of the candles and the huge fireplace.

The Trio as others called them had been invited over to spend the evening in Ranma and Akane's rooms studying and hanging out. Despite only having known her a short time, Luna Lovegood had somehow wormed her way into the ranks of Harry's closest friends and was also there that evening. She was, in fact, sitting in a chair much like his own on the other side of the small table upon which currently rested a small platter of mixed goodies and two mugs of tea. Both Luna and Harry were tucked into the seats with the help of a heavy quilt that aided in warding off the slight chill that was in the air.

Ranma and Akane were sprawling on a pile of cushions in front of the roaring fire, studying an old Charms book. Or more accurately, Akane was studying while Ranma allowed himself to try and distract his wife. They were both smothered under several quilts despite the proximity to the fire and Harry had to keep pulling his thoughts away from what Ranma's hands might be doing to distract Akane under those protective layers.

Ron and Hermione were sitting close together on the larger sofa accross from Harry and Luna, and their snacks and drinks were on the long, low table that filled in the space. They two were under a large quilt, though Hermione was studying an advanced Arithmancy book while Ron was reading Quidditch weekly. Each had a hand under the quilt and he suspected that they were once again holding hands.

The two of them had only in the last couple of days come to the realization of a fact that had been obvious to every other person who knew them and spent more then 5 minutes with either of them: The reason for all their arguments was, contrary to appearances, not because they disliked each other, but that they had very deep, intense feelings for each other that they had been too shy and/or embarrassed about to discuss with each other.

They had decided to, as Fred and George had stated, 'Give it a go'. at having a more advanced relationship. They had realized that while each considered Harry their best friend, and Ron thought of him as another brother-one he could actually get along with and understand, the feelings they felt towards each other were far from familial. No matter how much each had tried to place the other in the role of a sibling, neither had really accepted doing so since something about considering the other a sibling was wrong.

So, screwing up his courage, Ron had tried to ask Hermione to spend some time with him away from Harry or others where they could talk about things unrelated to schoolwork, the slowly simmering war, nor any of the extras that went along with being students at a school such as theirs. Of course, Ron and Hermione being who they were, even that had not gone smoothly.

FLASH

Ron nervously approached the girl he had only just realized he cared for in a manner unbecoming of a sibling. For the longest time he had lied to himself tha the only saw Hermione as another sister. But the previous year, seeing her parading around with that git Krum, and especially the wake up call of seeing her looking so magnificient at the Yule ball had driven home that he in no way thought of her as a sister. He had rebeled against what he considered were traitorous and perverse thoughts of her for nearly a year now, until in the last few days, he'd found himself unable to lie to himself any more. Hermione Granger was no more a sister to him than Draco Malfoy was a favored cousin. What he felt for her was not the feelings one would or should have for a sister, but for a far different relation. Since that revelation, he had been trying to bring himself to discuss his newly awaken thoughts with the subject of those thoughts, but had been unable to find the courage to do so until now.

As he waited for her to acknowledge his presence he took a moment to admire the natural beauty that Hermione had grown into. When he'd first met her, he'd thought she was a bushy haired, busybody, know-it-all with the personal skills of a rampaging gorilla. As he got to know her and as years past, he'd seen that what he'd thought was disdain for others on her part was really just a desire for her to be accepted as she was and not as others wished her to be. She wasn't snuck up or snotty, and she didn't behave as she did to show off, but because she didn't know any other way. She would not 'dumb down' as he'd heard it refered to, just to appease the slower minds and less accepting personalities of others. She could not help how easy it was for her to retain the knowledge she gathered. She was driven by an intense curiosity about the world, both worlds, they lived in and needed to know how everything worked. And for that, she needed to know how to do anything that had previously happened so that she could have a reasoning of why it was done as well as how. It was no ones fault that she was smarter than 95 of the students and 75 of the staff. It was just who she was.

And that, even more than the physical attraction that he felt, was what drew him. She was filled with an inner fire that demanded answers and results and would suffere any setback in order to advance towards her goals. The fire that drove her to overcome the obstacles of her still relative newness to the Wizarding World to become the best witch she could be. She might not have the most natural talent, but she did possess the ability to do more with the talent she had than others who had been surrounded by magic since birth. She worked hard, driving herself to learn and fill in the gaps in her knowledge of events that most Wizarding families took for granted.

She was not the classical beauty of a Padma or Pavati Patil, nor was she the manufacture sculpted perfection of a Fleur Delecamp or Pansy Parkinson. She was an attractive girl, yes, but there were many more beautiful or well constructed girls at Hogwarts. But few, if any, had the inner depths that made the core of Hermione's attractiveness. She was appealing without trying to be, and her quick mind and driven nature made her seem above the petty bickerings and feuding of the more 'normal' teens at the school. Add in the years of closeness they shared and the danger they'd survived together, and he could only wonder why it had taken so long for him to admit that he found her attractive and wanted to be more than just her friend or brother. Hell, even the git Krum had seen what he'd known all along was there and which had been brought to the surface at the Yule ball.

Shaking his head to clear his mind as he noted Hermione give him a quick smile before bidding Lavender and Padma goodbye, he swallowed deeply and struggled to get the words out. Of course, as nervous as he was, he messed up, and Hermione grew increasingly exasperated by his stuterring and mumbling, until fed up with himself he'd whipped around and shouted:

"Look you bloody twit, I'm trying to ask you out, damn it! I was trying to ask if you'd like to go on a date, just you and me, no one else."

Hermione, equally as frustrated by the conversation and the intense dreams she'd been having of Ron since she'd walked in on him in the locker room days before had also exploded. "Well, damn it Ron, It's about damn bloody time you do! I've been waiting for you to ask me out since 3rd year, you great bloody twit!"

"Fine, sorry for taking so long. If you really wanted to, you could have said something. I'm not a mind reader, Hermione." he screeched back.

"I'm sorry I wasn't obvious enough for you Ronald. Maybe if I'd come on to you like those floozies who chased after the Quidditch teams you'd have got the point. I mean, I only spent all my free time with you, brushed my hand against yours all the time, wrote to you every week of the summers, visited you whenever I could. I even tried to always sit next to you when the three of us were together, sometimes even leaning against you and you were too mule headed to catch on that maybe I wanted you to hold my hand, or for you to put your arm around my shoulder or waist?"

"Fine. You like me, I like you. Do you want to go out with me?"

"Of course I do you prat!"

"Tomorrow, 7:30. Library? And a picnic in the crosswalk?"

"See you there."

"No, I'll pick you up in the common room. Wear something nice, not just school robes."

"No. I'll be at Ranma and Akane's till then. Pick me up there. And wear something nice yourself."

The two stared at each other, then almost reluctantly, Hermione had leaned in and kissed Ron's cheek before storming off muttering under her breath while Ron brought a hand to his cheek and stared off after her.

End Flash

That was two days ago and from what he'd heard, the date had gone well. Ron had been grinning like an idiot and even Malfoy's taunts had gone ignored. Not even Snape and detentions from Umbridge had been enough to erase Ron's good mood. Hermione herself had also been a bit different, smiling for no reason at times, and blushing everytime someone mentioned Ron to her. Harry was taking great joy in teasing his best friends about their blossoming relationship, even teasing them that he had won a betting pool surrounding when they would either start snogging like newlyweds or kill each other. Of course he didn't mention that the same pool held over wether they'd give each other heart attacks screaming insults at each other or shagging each other to death. (Personaly, he had it for another two weeks after their first date before people started finding the remains of their clothing in all manner of strange and cramped cubbyholes.)

He finished his tea and biscuits and noticed that the tray was empty. Sighing, he threw off the quilt and rose, gathering the tray and plates. He felt a gaze on him and looked up in time to catch Luna's eyes. Her eyes locked with his and seemed to shimmer for a moment and he felt an odd moment of . . . not unease or fear... anticipation. Yes, he thought to himself as he held Luna's gaze. He definitely felt a hint of anticipation and admiration in her gaze. Then she blinked and the moment was lost.

"Hey, what's up Harry?" asked Ranma, seeing the other boy standing.

"I'm out of tea and this tray is empty. I was just going to go to your cubby to get some more." He replied, raising a questioning eyebrow to Luna and indicating her near emtpy tea. She gulped down the now cool drink and handed him the cup with a nod and smile before shyly looking back down at her book.

"Cool, while you're there, can you grab the little tin in there? My mom had sent some treats I had wanted to share with you guys."

Harry grinned, remembering the first time he'd tasted a treat from Ranma's mother. "Sure, you want me to bring the whole thing, or just some."

Ranma shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Most of it's gone already, so you might as well bring the rest. Between the four of you, and the two of us we can finish off whats left."

"Good." Harry went off to the little kitchennette that occupied the far corner of the suite, not noticing that Luna's gaze followed him as he did so.

Blimey Tonks, get a hold of yourself. You're here to protect Harry, not jump his bones. the person currently disguises as Luna Lovegood told herself sternly. You've been undercover before with no problems, so why can't you stop thinking about him? About what you'd like to do with - No, to him?

She sighed and glanced at the two couples sitting together, wishing she could sit that closely with the object of her affection. Her misplaced affection, she reminded herself weakly. But she could not get the thoughts of Harry Potter out of her head not matter what she did. He was a handsome boy, with a wonderful smile and, thanks to Quidditch and regular meals, he was in great physical shape. But it was more than just physical, she thought to herself. If it was, she had no doubt that he wouldn't plague her as much. Hell, she'd worked with more attractive and suave men in her few years as an Auror, and she'd never felt a tenth of the attraction she felt for Harry.

Even at his age, there was a maturity and a steadyness to his personality that usually wasn't there for years yet. He'd seen more in his 15 years of life than most people saw in 60. He could easily have turned out vindictive and twisted after the brutal and heartless treatment he'd suffered from his blasted relatives. Whatever had possessed Dumbledore to entrust Harry to those cruel, hateful Muggles? she wondered to herself as she threw short, quick glances at Harry's profile. He was the kindest, most generous person she had ever met, and yet he'd been raised by those monsters. He'd come to Hogwart's expecting to find a haven from their abuse, and what did that get him? An evil wizard trying year after year to kill him, people who pitied him and then refused to listen when he tried to warn them of the encroaching danger, and ridicule by his peers and comminuty.

Harry was extremely vulnerable, though he hid it well. He put on a brave front, but Nymphadora Tonks was not fooled. She'd been fronting for most of her life, and could tell when others were hiding their pain. She was hated by her family, excepting her parents, and treated with suspicion by other's because of her natural gifts that allowed her to literaly be any one else. She was treated almost as badly as half-human's were. No one wanted to get close to some one who could alter their appearance at will. How would they ever be able to tell if they were with their friend or partner if that person kept changing her face?

No, Harry hid it well, but he was in pain. That pain was eased slightly when he was alone with his best and closests friends, or his godfather, but it was there still the same. She should know. Her life hadn't been easy, even with 2 loving and supporting parents.

She wanted to help him overcome those old hurts and replace them with happiness. She wished to take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be all right, that no one would ever hurt him again. She knew she was growing too attached to him to remain objective, but she no longer cared. Taking a glance at the pair sitting across from her, she could admit that she had fallen in love with Harry and that she would do whatever she could to get him to feel the same way about her. Maybe than, if he had some one who loved him the way his parents loved each other, and the way he could see the people around him caring for one another, he could start to let go of his past and start looking towards a future beyond this foolishness with Voldymort. If he had something to look forward too, he might not give up as easily as Voldymort expected him too. He might be willing to fight for the right to live his life the way he wanted, with the people he wanted, in peace. And she wanted to be right there beside him, supporting him, Both during the battle and after.


	14. Section 14

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

I had people asking for confrontations. So I'm starting to work on some things with this chapter.

Someone mentioned that they didn't like that Ranma's dragon form had wings. Especially since I was basing my story on 'Comes the Cold Dragon'. Well, this is why I stated that my story was not a direct continuation of CtCD, especially since CtCD is not finished yet. CtCD is far from the only fic I've read where Ranma was a dragon, and since I am more familiar with the western style dragon that even while I read CtCD, I had a western dragon image in my mind, that is what I am writting Ranma as.

A lot more introspection and self evalutation, but I'm working on confrontations.

Shampoo smiled wickedly as she donned her cloak and left the dank recess of the small room. Her meeting with the blonde arrogant fool had gone exceptionally well. She hadn't even had to resort to any actual physical persuasion. She'd had him doing exactly as she wished with only a few words and suggestive positions. The boy was a fool, but he served a powerful force that she wished to align herself with. If needed, she was prepared to do whatever it took to gain the Dark Wizards aid in destroying Ranma and his foolish allies.

How dare the foolish male defy her and deny her! How dare he refuse her her right to rule by his side. She'd known the moment she'd seen the little redhaired trollop stroll into the village that events were coming to a head. She could sense the hidden power within the attractive form and she could also tell that the girl had not reached a tenth of her potential at that time. So she had foolishly allowed herself to be bested by the girl with the intent to give the girl the Kiss and seek after her and learn her strengths before taking them for herself. She had known immediately that the girl was not natural, that there was something different about her, and having grown up near the Cursed Valley, she could come to only one conclusion: The girl had fallen into one of the springs. And from the manner in which she moved, it was most likely that the girl was in fact a boy who had fallen into the Nyannichuan.

So she had thought to alter the Kiss of Death to the Kiss of Marriage, but the opportunity had not arisen. Her old crone of a Grandmother had been watching her too closely to 'accidentally' slip the Marriage Kiss onto the boy-turned-girl. At the time, her own skills had surpassed the boy's , but she'd repeatedly allowed the boy to escape in hopes of getting a chance to slip the Kiss of Marriage on him. And it had come after chasing him to his home land, but the idiot had refused his place. So she had tried to resort to less . . . mundane methods of persuasion ranging from physcial affection to magical potions, all of which failed.

Now Ranma had grown far beyond her skill. She was still the best Amazon warrior, but experience had shown her that being the best of that group was a paltry height compared to some she wished to reach. The thrice damned Tendo girl had surpassed her, though she had gone to great trouble to hide that fact. She could perform a trick similar to Happosai's Giant Aura, where her strength seemed up to five or six times what it actually was, but doing it left her drained for hours so she instead found a way to make it look like she was masking her power instead of flaunting it the way she had. The only good thing to have come about in recent events was that she had learned that there was a way to control the damned curse her infernal Grandmother had imposed on her.

Thanks to Ranma's little demonstration with the arrogant blonde child, the students here were under the impression that martial arts would make them superior to magical arts. What the fools didn't realize was that the youth so simply too weak a wizard to be able to match Ranma's skills in the martial arts. In the long run neither magical nor martial arts were in and of themselves superior to the other. In the same manner that one wizard was simply better than another or one martial artist more powerful then the next, so it went in a battle between the two. It wasn't that Ranma was immune to Malfoy's magic, it was simply that the child was too weak and inexperienced to use his talents to harm Ranma. But in a fight with a much more powerful wizard, or several skilled and experienced wizards working together would have a much greater chance to defeat Ranma. Especially if he was in his draconian form.

Though being a dragon granted Ranma many gifts, including the natural ability to draw on magic, increased speed and strength, as we as near immortality, there were some little known drawbacks. As a dragon, Ranma was susceptible to the same dangers other dragons were. Including certain herbs, pagical potions and spells, and other such phenomena. The draconian urges were tempered by his human intillect but those urges were far stronger than human urges and the battle between them and his human control could be very easily disrupted, turning him into nothing more than a very powerful beast, who with the right spells and equipment could be controlled quite easily.

Voldemort and his Death Eaters would be able to handle Ranma, with a little help from her. And then she could finally get her revenge on those that had wronged her. First Ranma's little whore, then his friends here, then back to the damned island to destroy the others. And then she, Xian Pu, would rule the village with an iron fist.

Ranma grinned as he approached the head table. The Umbridge woman glared fearfully at him and he nodded gently to her, causing her to wimper and try to hide her immense bulk behind the rather stunted form of Professor Flitiwick. Ranma just shook his head and continued to his seat at the far side of the table, away from Umbridge and Snape, and settled into his seat next to the gentle half-giant he'd come to know well in recent times.

It had been a statement of Hagrid's infact, that had given Ranma the idea to have Haabu and Nabiki travel to London in person and have them force the Ministry to relax the oppressive rules the fat cow had set in place. The council of ministers had been fearful as Haabu, eyes glowing red, and his aura sparking around him, hovered several inches off the ground and demanded that they once again give full command of all decisions regarding Hogwarts to the recognized Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore. Some had blustered, but Nabiki had just grinned and starting rattling off a series of numbers that had them instantly doing as she wished, for she was giving out their personal account information from both Gringott's and muggle banks, throwing the occassional name, sometimes of a place or others of a person that had them set firmly on the path Nabiki wanted them to take.

Within hours of their visit, the mail had started up again, and the various teams were once again meeting to set practice schedules.

That was several weeks ago now, and though Umbridge was still here, her role was reduce to observer, with no actual power to do anything. She was allowed only to report on things she saw, and she was not allowed to deviate from the various lesson plans for those few classes that she was permitted to teach, with the incumbent Hogwart's professors holding an evaluation of her teaching skills in the various subjects. The only ones she avoided completely were Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures(after several instances with firehounds lighting her clothing afire) and any of the martial arts courses. She pretty much stayed away from any class that had Gryffindor's in it, and stuck to filling in only if the class was some combination of the other three houses.

She was still allowed to dock and assign points, and took delight in punishing Ravenclaw and Huffle puff students for the slightest infractions or errors, while being very free with giving points to Slytherin.

Ranma shook his head and tried to tune out thoughts of the horrible woman, instead turning to Hagrid.

"So Hagrid, now that we've got the mail and stuff back to normal, will the students be allowed to go to Hoghead soon?"

"Eh? What's that, 'anma? Oi, ya mean Hogsmeade." Hagrid stated placing his utensils down for a moment. "Will, Dumbledore has been talking with the other professors about it and most seem to think it'd be a right good idea. Releave some a 'he tension the students be under and the like. Though he be mentioning having a guard or chaperones to check the place out first. I think 'es gonna be askin' ya' and yer pals if yed go check the town over one morning before 'e sends the wee ones."

Ranma shrugged. "I don't mind going, and I'm sure Akane will come with me. I don't know about the others, except maybe Ono and Kasumi. Though Kasumi probably isn't up for much walking right now."

"Well, when ye get 'he chance, talk to Dumbledore. He'll let ye know when 'e wants ye to go so that 'e can inform the other professors and 'he students."

Ranma popped a small eggroll into his mouth and chewed and swallowed it before continuing the conversation. "I'll do that after classes today then. I'm sure everyone will get a kick of getting some time away from the school. Give them a chance to get some treats and supplies that they're running low on. After we clear it, I might try and see if I can get back home and visit my mom. Plus, I'm sure Nabiki and the council have a ton of stuff I'll need to do."

Finished with the conversation the two started eating in earnest, between them managing to consume half again what the rest of the table ate.


	15. Section 15

STANDARD DISCLAIMER: I OWN NONE OF THIS EXCEPT MY OWN IDEA OF HOW TO PLACE RANMA AND HARRY TOGETHER.

STORY STARTS

Harry laughed as he was once again tossed over Dennis' shoulder. While most would expect him to be frustrated with his inability to grasp the skills Ranma and Akane were offering, he was mostly relieved to find himself at best mediocre at something. Not that he found everything coming to him easily, but this was a very visible reminder to people that he was just a boy. He wasn't perfect, no matter what the Daily Prophet or rumors said. Students still came up to him asking for his autograph like he was a muggle celebrity. Others seemed to be in awe of him and followed him around like he was some kind of royalty. He hated it. He just wanted to try and live a normal, well as normal as other wizarding families anyway, life. Sure, he'd survived as a baby, and he'd faced Voldemort a few times to live and tell, but he wasn't the only one. Dumbledore was still alive, after all, as was Moody and Remus. And they'd fought Voldemort.

When he'd first learned of the wizarding world, he'd been thrilled. Finally, a chance to live and not be a slave to his relatives. He'd learned things more wonderous than they could even imagine, but yet, there was always a darness to what he was learning. A sense of things coming to a head. And now that he'd learned about htat thrice curse prohphecy he knew what it was. Sometime in the near future, he would face Voldemort again, and this time, one of them would not walk away. This time, one of them would be killed. And he had no choice in the matter.

Either he would kill Voldemort or Voldemort would kill him. Considering all the pain he'd suffered in his life, there were times he almost hoped that Voldemort killed him. The only thing that stopped him from letting him do so, was the knowledge that Voldemort would never stop. He'd keep killing and killing until there was no one left to oppose his evil rule. No matter what happened, Harry couldn't let that happen. He couldn't let what happened to his parents and him happen to some other family. Too much blood had been spilt for him to allow Voldemort to continue his evil. Voldemort needed to be stopped and it was likely he was the only one capable of stopping him.

Although, there seemed to be others who fit the guidelines issued by the prophecy Dumbledore had chosen to tell him of after he'd heard about Sturgis Pudmore being arrested after breaking into a secret area of the Ministry. It was something of a first for them, as he'd asked the headmaster about it and for once, the older man had not held back from him. Of course, he'd had to agree to work hard and listen to Snape during some after hours tutoring in Occlumency to shield his mind against any more of Voldemort's mental attacks. Dumbledore was convinced the prophecy refered to him even though one or two others also fit some of the phrasing. Neville for instance. Thinking of his friend, he glanced over to where Neville was currently sparring with Dean. Ranma and Akane had combined the two courses today, allowing the more advanced students to work with those who were struggling. Neville Longbottom, Colin and Dennis Creevy were among the better students, followed closely by Hermione.

Harry got to his feet and took his stance. Dennis pointed out again what he had done wrong that time, and Harry nodded along with the instructions. He'd missed the grab by a few inches, grabbing too high up the arm for the current toss they were learning. They set again, and this time, he managed to get Dennis over his shoulder to the mat. He grinned and thanked his slight companion for the aid as they sset for the next toss. They workd through the same cycle of the throw, until Dennis gelt Harry was much more comfortable with performing the actions without possibly injuring himself or others. Then Akane came over and took Dennis' place, and Harry was able to throw her as well, though she had attacked at a much faster pace then Dennis.

Akane then halted the class and held a little question and answer session about the throw. She, Dennis and Harry demonstrated the throw, Dennis and Harry going at the speed they'd worked at before, and Akane again moving faster then before, and Harry managing to throw them both, which surprised him more than any of the observers.

"So students, what did you notice about those two throws Harry performed?"

Ginny lifted her hand and Akane nodded for her to go on. "It was the same throw, but you moved into the attack much faster then Dennis. I could barely see you move. And I was a Seeker for a bit."

"That's right, I did go a lot faster then Dennis. And Harry still threw me, so again, what does that show?"

This time, Katie replied. "That even though you were faster, Harry saw the move you were doing, and his body was able to adapt to your speed without his thinking about it."

Akane grinned and gave a little clap. "Exactly, Katie. Harry knew what I was going to do, and was able to counter it, even though it was faster then he expected. That's what we're trying to drill into you with all the repetitions of the same moves. We're training your bodies, not only to be stronger and faster, but to be smarter. So that if someone stronger and faster then you attacks, but you know what they are going to try, then you will still be able to defend yourself. We're training your muscle memory and hand eye coordination. Those are two of the little things most people never really think about, but which are among the most important strengths of a martial artists. In the same way that you are taught to swish and swirl your wands in certain ways while calling out your spells, so are we trying to get you in the habit of allowing your body to think for itself. So that instead of thinking:

'It's a straight punch, so now, I have to move to the side, grab his wrist with my left hand, an inch above his elbow with my right, while turning, and pulling into his momentum, use my shoulder and back as a launch pad to flip him into the air.'

What you are really thinking is:

'Okay, once I've got him in the air, should I hold the arm and try and get him to submit, or should I let go midway and throw him into the air?'

See the difference? Instead of thinking of each step of the move and how to do it, you are thinking what to do after you've done the move. You're thinking about the next step of the fight and the possible moves you can use next, but not HOW to DO each move, just which of them you want to do. It's similar to a magical fight. Instead of thinking about how to call your power and what the words mean or exactly how to say them, you are thinking about what spell to cast and the possible counters your opponent could use. So that you think :

'Next, I'll throw a binding spell, followed by Expeliarmus, then a Petrify.'

and not:

'I want to do a binding spell and to do that I need to say these words, and twist my wrist just so, then gesture the wand at his legs or arms.'."

Ranma took up for her. "That's why we keep going over the same kata's and forms. To get your body used to moving in certain ways so that you don't have to think about each part of a move, only about which move is needed. Sure, strength is important, and so is speed. Akane didn't move nearly as fast as she could have, but those two come later. Right now, we're working on getting you used to doing the forms and moves so that later, when you are faster adn stronger, you're able to concentrate more on which ones are needed instead of how to do them. That's the way we teach, others teach it differently. Over in Ravenclaw, Ryoga is training their strength and endurance, making them stronger, while Taro is teaching them the techniques.

It's what their both good at. Taro isn't the strongest person I've ever fought, but he is probably one of the top three when it comes to pure skill and knowledge about the Art. That's not saying Taro isn't insanely strong himself, but I've fought people much stronger with a great deal less skill then him and that's why he's always been one of the hardest fights I've ever dealt with. He's as close to a match to my own level on skill as I've ever met. Only Haabu and Cologne are significantly more advanced then he, and Cologne is over 300 years old and Haabu has the advantage of his draconian ancestry that lends certain natural gifts to those who inherit it. I think that's also how it works with magic, in some ways."

"What do you mean, Sensei?" asked a 1st year girl.

"Well, think about it. Why do some families consistently produce powerful wizards and witches while others only produce mediocre wizrds and such. And before any one says it, no I don't think that one is better then the other, it's just that certain factors tend to be inherited. And I did, or rather, Kasumi and Akane did, some research and most of the most powerful wizards of the last 1000 years have been born into either non magical or mixed families. Even Voldemort was born from a witch and non magical father."

There was a gasp from the crowd and several made signs to ward of evil. Others muttered how that couldn't be true, after all, everyone knew that You-Know-Who hated muggles and muggle born.

Harry couldn't take it any more. "It's true!" He shouted to the rest of Gryffindor house. "He's told me so himself! His real name is Tom Marvuolo Riddle and his father was a muggle. Because of that he was teased and tormented by the purebloods when he was in school. He started to hate his father and all muggles for causing him to be the object of hatred and humiliation. When he left school, he started seeking out Dark Wizards and learnign from them. He put his past away and took a new name, hating everything his given name stood for."

There were still mutters of disbelief among the gathered class, but most had learned that Harry wasn't one to outright lie about such things. He tended to be more of a realist, even for a wizard.

"Look, class is almost over today. Let's get every cleared up and put away." Ranma stated, halting the impending arguements. "I think we've all had enough for today. Besides, it's Friday, and I have to get up early tomorrow. I was talking to Dumbledore, and he's going to make an announcement tonight at supper. He's going to allow students to have a Hogsmeade weekend this weekend and next weekend. The only thing is that Akane and I have to go to Hogsmeade early tomorrow morning and check out the security and safety. If we don't find anything more dangerous then normal for Hogsmeade, then we'll report back to the school through the new magical cells Fred and George have created, and He'll start sending groups to Hogsmeade. Every one will be chaperoned, and you'll be expected to stay in your groups, of at least 10. Gryffindor and Hufflepuff will go this weekend and Ravenclaw and Slytherin the next. The Quidditch games that had been scheduled for those weekends are to be played the Wednesday afternoon instead. So, I want everyone to rest well tonight, because it's party at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow, and I'm buying."

Akane grinned as her husband started leading the cheers. "Oh, one other thing. The trip is open to all years, not just 3rd and up. So I hope first and second years have saved a few gnuts and sickles because Honeydukes is having a big sale tomorrow."

That really got the crowd going, and they were soon organizing themselves into clean up crew, with the older students practically shoving Ranma and Akane out the room and giving them orders to head for their suit and rest for the morning. Chuckling the pair were more than glad to go, only pausing to mention to their students not to let on that they already knew since none of the other houses did.

With promises to keep it quiet, the Gryffindor hosue set about cleaning the mess they'd made that day.

BREAK

Voldemort glared from his throne like chair at the attendant Death Eaters. He'd received a message from his spies that Dumbledore had brought outsiders into Hogwarts. Not wizards, but martial artists. He'd never dealt with a martial artist himself, but he had read of several Dark Wizards who had. They'd compared some of what these fighters could do to be almost equal to some of the powerful spells. Apparently, some really powerful martial artists could summon something called 'ki' and use it as beams of energy or use it to create tools and weapons with which to attack.

Voldemort knew Dumbledore better than any person on the planet. He knew that Dumbledore would not have brought martial artists to Hogwarts unless he thought they could be of some use in the coming conflict. He also knew that Dumbledore would have sought out the most powerful artists he could who would be trustworthy.

He knew that for someone to grow really powerful, whatever their discipline, then they must have enemies equally, or near equally as powerful. Dumbledore would only seek the best of the so called 'good' guys. All that he'd read on the subject stated that neither magic nor martial arts was more powerful then the other, just that they were drawn from different sources and depended on the strength of the weilder. He'd read the diary of a preColonization Dark Wizard who'd travelled the orient and fought several powerful martial artists. That wizard had claimed that the skills granted to martial artists were mostly physical, while the mystic arts granted mental gifts. The wizard went on to give discripbtions of some of the martial artists most powerful attacks, and Voldemort had to admit that some of them were impressive. Blasts of energy that could destroy mountains, shields that would stop lighting strikes and allow the user to walk through fire. And even some that would allow the user to fly without the aid of a broom.

If even half of the statements were true, then Albus might have added a force to his army that gave him a slight edge. Not to matter, if an old fool like Dumbledore could find powerful allies, then there must be some who could be of aid to his cause. He gestured to one of the whimpering fools he ruled and sneered when the fellow meekly approached the throne.

"You, I want you to spread the word to all my spies and informants. I will pay double for any information relating to the powerful martial artists who have joined Dumbledore. And triple for any information on their enemies who might possibly be willing to aid me in destroying them. Now, all of you, leave me." he ordered. As they started to file out, he called out. "Narcissca, Bellatrix. You two stay." Everyone left save the two he'd called back and one other.

The two woman approached his throne modestly, while the third dark figure paused in the shadows.

Irritated, Voldemort turned and faced the still figure. "Why are you still here, Lucius?" Behind the throne, a slithery, scrapping sound filled the room.

"My lord, I have need to discuss something regarding our son with my wife."

"Your wife has other duties to perform that do not require you. See to your foolish son yourself, Lucius, or you will need to find yourself another heir. Am I clear?" Beside the throne the two woman had started to disrobe, well conditioned to what their lord and master wished of them.

Lucius swallowed in fear even as anger coursed through him. "Absolutely, my lord." With hate and fear in his heart, Lucius Malfoy strode from the room, even as he heard his lord order Lucius' wife to relieve him.


	16. Section 16

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY.

No, Ryoga doesn't get a girlfriend, just a friend who he is comfortable talking to about his life.

Ryoga scowled as he once again felt the gentle tugging at his navel while he walked through the hall. At first, the sensation had been a wonderous thing to him, for it was a sign that he would not be getting lost. He'd heared enough and learned enough in his time here that he knew that somehow, the lost curse on his family was related to what the wizarding community called Aparating. He, and his family, were subonciously Aparating everytime they lost track of where they were or what they were doing. The sensation he was feeling was that effect of a failed Aparation due to the anti-aparating field that was infused in the Hogwarts grounds.

So while he had enjoyed not getting lost everytime he turned around, it was starting to annoy him how often the sensation flashed through him. It didn't hurt, but it was frustrating. He'd never realised before just how often he would travel. He'd also learned that all those places that he'd though were in Japan were actually in various countries around the world, even as far away as America. That, more then anything, was extremely frightening for him, since he'd never had problems talking to any one in any of the places he'd gone, and after talking to some of the students here, he'd learned that he knew how to speak and read dozens of languages that he'd never recognized before. He'd thought that everyone else was speaking to him in Japanese, when all this time, he'd known such languages as Swedish, French, Italian, English, German, and who knew how many others.

He shook his head, clearing it of the thoughts that strengthened his dispair and rounded a corner, nearly colliding with a Ravenclaw student. He put his arms out to steady the other person and blushed deeply, realizing that it was one of the girls in his house.

The girl smiled at the large figure holding her up, glad to have a chance to talk to him alone. She'd wanted to thank him for all the help he'd been giving them, but was a little shy. She'd grown up on a farm, away from most people, and still felt a little overwhelmed sometimes by the sheer number of people here at Hogwarts. She'd made some good friends, but she still didn't feel like she fit in. She missed her family, and ner friends from home. She was lonely, even with all the people around her, and she sensed that Ryoga-sensei was lonely as well. He hadn't told them much about himself, except that he had travelled the world his whole life, but she sensed that there was more than he was willing to tell. She hoped that thanking for taking the time to train them and help them to survive the coming dangers would ease some of his loneliness and bring some happiness into his life.

"Oh, Ryoga-sensei, I was looking for you!" she exclaimed, noting with a giggle that his blush deepened. The poor boy was nearly as shy as she was, she thought to herself. He must think I'm going to ask him out or something! "I wanted to thank you for all that you've been teaching us this year, Ryoga-sensei. I know that you aren't used to all this," she gestured around them, where portraits were conversing and stairs were rotating and shuffling around. " and that it must have been a great change from what you usually do. I hope that you are enjoying your time here, and that you learn a lot about magic. I also wanted to tell you that I think you're really doing a good job! Most of us never ever heard of martial arts before, and now, thanks to you and Taro-sensei, we're all in better shape then we've ever been and will be able to hold our own in an actual fight."

Ryoga smiled goofily down at the girl, until it dawned on him that she was just being friendly. He'd had little experience with people being friendly to him, and in the short time he'd been at Hogwarts, he'd had more of it than he'd had in his entire life. Even Taro, who'd never been a friend, but hadn't really been his enemy, was being rather friendly since Ranma had talked him into taking his new name. It was a surreal experience, but one he was enjoying, and he didn't want to risk jumping to conclusions again like he had with Akane's friendliness to a lonely boy. "Thank you, Hanna-san. It is certainly different then the few schools I've ever attended. And much more interesting then I thought it would be. I really only came because Ranma was coming and he and I go back a long way. We aren't friends exactly, but we don't hate each other. I hope that I haven't worked any of you too hard, as I know that none of you are used to the conditions that Ranma and I are used to and that it might me a bit much to expect you to pick up in weeks what it took us years to master."

Hanna smiled widely, pleased with the praise from her sensei. "Thank you, Ryoga san, but it's all because of the work you made us do at the start of the year. None of us were in any shape to be doing martial arts, especially on a scale any where near what you and Ranma perform. We're still just starting out really. I enjoy it a great deal."

Ryoga smiled, no longer feeling even the slightest bit of shyness talking about a subject he enjoyed. "You're doing quite well. You've obviously been used to being physically active, and that put you ahead of the others in the house. For all that Ranma and I are more powerful then most, I wouldn't wish our lives on any one."

Hanna smiled sadly, knowing how difficult it was to fit in when you were raised in circumstances beyond most peoples experience. She hadn't attended school until the previous year, and this past summer, she'd received her letter to Hogwarts, changing her life even more then before. They'd lived too far from the nearest cities to easily attend school, but thanks to the Internet she'd not been to far behind her classmates. The only reason she'd even been able to go to the school was because her mother had finally finished her online degree and gotten a job in the small community as a teacher. She'd grown up spending almost her entire life on the farm, only leaving about once every other month or so to come into town to get clothing or supplies that they couldn't grow on their farm.

"I know what it's like to be different, Ryoga-sensei. I didn't go to school until I was ten and then that July, I got my letter for Hogwarts. I was raised on a farm, and didn't come into town very often. Maybe 7 or 8 times a year. It was pretty much just me, my parents, and a couple of farm hands who lived in a guest house. I didn't have any friends, and when I got to the first school, I didn't fit in and the other students made fun of me. It's not as bad here as it was there, but there are still times I fell out of place. People don't understand what it was like, not because I grew up on a farm away from lots of people, but because I grew up in a non magic family. All this is new to me. At least, you had people like Ranma and Taro in your life, people who could relate to what you were forced to endure while growing up."

Ryoga scratched his head, realizing that his new friend was right. Though he'd had many problems due to his curse, at least he'd met several people along the way who had endured as difficult a life as he, if not in the same way. Just thinking about some of the training Ranma's father had forced on him, or the training he'd endured to learn the breaking point from Ku Lon was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. That's part of the reason why he'd started so slowly with the actual training methods, and concentrated on building the endurance and strength of his house.

Once Taro had arrived, they'd had a civil conversation, something of a novelty for both, and decided what areas to contrate on teaching their students. Ryoga had taken those who were in the best physical shape and started them on a lesser form of his own art, while Taro had taken the less capable and started teaching them a blend of softer arts mixed with some fancy footwork, neither of which Ryoga was very skilled with. His own school had relied on unusual weapons techniques and forms based on strength and power.

Hanna was among the most able bodied of Ryoga's group and he had little doubt that she would be one of the 3 representatives for Ravenclaw at the end of year tournament Ranma had proposed. He hadn't had a chance to study any of the other houses, having enough problems keeping up with his coursework, which seemed to be coming more easily as he no longer had to constantly worry that somehow he was going to take a step and be half a world away with his next breath. Since his mind wasn't filled with the fear of disappearing, he could concentrate more of his attention on his work, and found that it came somewhat naturally to him. He'd heard already that Ranma was having great trouble with the same work, and it eased something inside him to know that his greatest rival was far from perfect. Though he no longer held any illusion of a future with Akane, thanks to the beating she'd given him, he was still proud to finally be better at something then Ranma. Now if only he could learn to consistently control his curse, instead of the rather spotty control he had now, he could be happy.

"Er, Hanna, you didn't have pigs at your farm, did you?" Ryoga asked, remembering the last farm girl he'd known.

Hanna looked at him quizzically. "Not really, it was mostly a cattle and egg farm. We had a few pigs, but mostly for our own food sources. Do you have something against pigs?"

Ryoga sighed. "Well, I have a class to get to, I think your in it too. Why don't I tell you all about it on the way there?"

Hanna smiled, pleased that she'd managed to work a little of Ryoga's depression out for him. "Sure, let's get to class!"

Ranma and Akane where enjoying their trip to the wizarding village, even if they had to ignore the strange looks they were getting. Neither was wearing robes, having decided to dress as they would in Nerima. So Ranma had put on his newest white dragon tie shirt, and black kunfu pants while Akane was wearing a bright yellow sundress with a dark blue hat. They walked the streets hand in hand, looking around like tourists while scanning the city for any signs of dark intent. They'd already spotted the hidden watchers for the ministry, as well as a second group that while they didn't know who they worked for, they did sense that the second group had no ill intentions for anyone in the town.

After wandering for an hour or so, they went into an alley, where Akane took out the magically powered cell phone and placed a call to the headmaster.

"Professor? It's Akane, we've been wandering for an hour and we haven't felt anything dangerous. Just the typical greed and such from that Knockturn Alley place you told us about."

She listened for a moment as the ancient wizard spoke to her. "No sir, I don't think that there's much chance of anything happening. Just make sure that Ryoga and Taro know what to look out for when they come down with their house. Ku Lon and Shampoo should be able to handle anything that happens, and Ranma and I will stick around town for the rest of the day. You can start sending the students down now." She noticed Ranma gesturing and passed him the phone.

"Professor, it's Ranma. While there's nothing dangerous, we have spotted two different groups of observers keeping on eye on the town. From what you've told us, one of the groups must be aurors, but I don't know about the second group. There's one man, his very different from anyone I've ever encountered. It's like there's something dark and dangerous locked up inside of him, but he himself seems to be a caring guy, from what his aura shows." He listened as Dumbledore spoke for a moment. "Well, if you say so, Professor. You're the boss, after all. Right now, we're just going to get a bite to eat at that Leaky Cauldron place, then do some window shopping until Kasumi and Tofu get here. Talk to you later." He hung up and handed the phone back to Akane, placing his arm around her shoulders as they moved towards the Cauldron.

They ignored the sense of being watched, and Ranma even chose to ignore the rather bad job the two groups were making of sending someone to follow him and Akane. While he inteded to keep his senses stretched as far as he could, he wanted to try and have a little fun today with Akane. It wasn't often they got to go out together in relative anonymity. They were too well known in Nerima and Angwan to go out in public without being swamped.

The day passed relatively peacefully, thanks to the staggered admittance to the town for the students. Only having 1 house visit at a time, each accompanied by their heads of house as well as all the prefects, the Head Boy and Girl, and three non house related professors. Each alos had their senseis in prominant display, Taro and Ryoga managing to steer even the most menacing figures away from the crowd of first adn second eyars they were watching over with mere looks. No one wished to mess with the tiny figure boucning on her staff or the odd looking young man who kept pulling a seemingly endless variety of weapons from within his volumnous sleeves, not even to ogle the exceptionally well-endowed young girl wearing what looked like little more than a teddy and silk pyjama bottoms.

When Kasumi and Tofu arrived with Hufflepuff, even the most vicous foul mouthed, ignorant inhabitant of Knockturn Alley was incapable of anything less then the best display of manners they possessed. Kasumi was nearly glowing and a sense of peace suffused the entire village during her three hour visit.

Ranma and Akane however, were different stories. Instead of intimidating the underworld of the community, Ranma would simply allow his gaze to lock with those of lesser ethics and let some of his aura blaze in his eyes while shaking his head and waving the various pickpockets and false beggars away. Akane was more proactive, stomping up to various figures and threatening violence if they so much as looked at the students under their protection. There were several arrests for petty theft by the visible members of hte ministry police force while the hidden force continued to mainly keep on eye on Ranma and Akane, which they simply took as par for the course. They knew that there was a debate on the merits of their attendance to Hogwarts, and that several members of the Ministry were opposed to their presence at the school and the value of their work.

Harry and his friends had a peacefull day, being allowed to stick around the village as a fourth line of defense against possible attacks. All the students allowed to stay beyond the house times were members of HarHarTu, and actually several years ahead of most of the other students in DADA coursework. Harry and his associates had been able to get the first years up to 4th year level, and the other years equally as far beyond their classmates if not in some cases more. The first major spell he showed was always the Patronus, and Boggarts were starting to be in short supply around the castle. He refused to teach more advanced magic until every member of his club was capable of the Patronus. He never wanted any one else to experience the horrors he'd felt at the hands of the Dementors.

Harry himself was having on of his best days. He'd spent most of the day wandering around with Luna, while Ron and Hermione had snuck away for a more private location for them to snog each other silly. Luna had a rather endless supply of knowledge on the more obscure species in the world. Harry found it fascinating, hearing about such mythical creatures as the 6toed gypsy sloth, or the 2 horned water breathing aquacat. Luna told of several meetings she and her father had with the legendary Sasquatch of Northwestern America, and it's cousin the Yeti of the Himalayas. He felt more comfortable then he did with anyone else he'd known, though he felt that there was a part of herself she was holding back. And that intriqued him.

Sometimes, she seemd older then she looked, and there would be a glint in her eye that spoke of personal experience of things she couldn't have experienced yet. There was no malice in her, just a joy for life, and it eased something in him, something that he had never realized he'd been living with. He couldn't explain it. All he knew was that when he was speaking to her and spending time with her, he knew that she didn't see him as 'Harry Potter, Boy Who Lived', but as 'Harry Potter, boy who had no clue about anything that was going on around him'.

Whateve it was about her that gave her the aura of confidence and the presence to draw the attention of everyone to herself or to fade into the background as situations demanded, he wanted to learn what she was hiding. He didn't get the feeling that it was a dark secret of pain or loss, though there was some loss in her voice when she spoke of her mother or her nameless cousin who'd died during the summer, but he knew that whatever secret she was holding, was something wonderous and majestic. And he hoped that one day, she'd open up to him as he found himself opening up to her. He found himself telling her things he couldn't even tell Sirius.

Laughing at the tale of a gobleygook who'd lost it's way, he allowed himself to bask in the moment. For once in his life, he was content to simply live in the moment, and not worry about the past or the future.

Tonks smiled while relating the story her cousin had told her about the gobleygook. She'd spent most of the day trying to get Harry to relax and not tense at the shadows. She'd managed to keep him grounded, for the most part, though he was still jumping slightly as he noted the figures moving in the shadows of various alleys they passed on their tour.

She herself was having a great time, enjoying the chance to talk with Harry about subjects in no way related to school or the upcoming war. She was getting to know Harry quite well, and she had realized that he was telling her some things about himself and his life that he'd never told a soul. It made her heart ache for him as he recounted various stories of the abuse he'd suffered at the hands of his relatives, and she wanted nothing more at times then to pay them a visit that would have them regretting not treating Harry with the love he deserved. He told her of his wishes for the future, and his regrets about things in the past.

In turn, she'd told him about her family, though she'd had to edit it to place herself in Luna's role, and not name her wild haired, wild child cousin who egged her to take stupid risks and convinced her to enjoy life. She found herself relating the pain she'd felt as she was ostricized by the larger half of her family. She told him of hte adventures she'd gotten into while attending the Auror Acadamy. She sometimes found it difficult to separate herself from the events and to narate them into third person, but she didn't shy away from any of the details, no matter how painful or embarrassing. She wanted Harry to know as much about her as she knew about him, and hoped that when he learned of her true identity, that he'd understand what she'd been trying to convey by talking about her 'cousin' so much.

She felt her heart clench as she saw the look of pure joy on Harry's face, a look she'd only ever seen on him when playing Quidditch. She heart trembled as he turned his warm gaze onto her and she could swear the sounds of the town faded to nothing as she looked him in the eyes. She smiled unconciously, matching the wide grin on his face. He held out an arm and she placed hers in his grip as he turned away from the window of Quidditch Outfitters and started wadding their way through 1st and 2nd year students to get to Honeydukes.

'It's offical, Tonks.' she thought to herself, glancing more then occassionally at him from the corner of her eye. 'You're head over heels in love with Harry bleeding Potter. He's six years young then you, and the 2nd or 3rd most famous wizard alive, and you . . .love. . .him. He's got girls all over the world wanting to be with him, and you hate it.' Sighing, she resolved to try and find a way to control her feelings, lest Harry learn of them before she could safely tell him the truth about herself. 'I hope he still at least considers me a friend, once he learn's I've been lying to him all this time.'


	17. Section 17

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY.

Thanks all for reviews, hopefully this chapter is longer then others, and you like what happens.

First Voldy POV chapter (Snapers don't worry, just keep reading.)

The hunched figure sighed quietly as he watched his servants scatter from his wrath. Once again, his foolish incompotant servants had failed in what should have been a simple mission. They were to simply aparate as close to possible to Hogwarts, near the far side of the forbidden forest and traverse through the forest onto school grounds and wait for word from him that Potter had returned to the grounds and was alone, then under chameleon charms and cloaks sneak into the castle with the aid of his spies and capture him.

Unfortunately they had failed. Somehow, Dumbledore had at the last moment sent Snape as well as his other spy neither knew to watch over the damn children during their weekend at Hogsmeade. So the fools had left their hidding spots to return here, and had been ambushed by a patrol of Centaurs. Out of the twenty Death Eaters he'd sent, only 9 had returned. Not that he would miss any of the 11 dead idiots, but he needed bodies to fill his ranks, and there were fewer wizards and witches around willing to ally themselves with him after he'd failed so after to kill that damned boy. Oh, he could Imperius curse hundreds at a time, but wizards under that curse were little more then mindless shells of the wizards they could be if they obeyed him willingly.

Rumours that he feared the boy, and about his origins were starting to stir the ranks again, and he was annoyed to know that soon, the truth of his birth would be out and that his own ranks would be questioning his worth. He'd gone to great pains to cover his origins, only allowing a small handful of people to know of his former incarnation as Tom Riddle. Though the foolish old man insisted on using that name when talking about him to his own inner circle, he'd never let on to the general population that the most feared Dark Wizard championing the cause of the PureBlood was himself a filthy mudblood.

Only Bellatrix, Lucius, Nott, and MacNair knew that he'd been born of tainted blood. None others save Dumbledore and his few fools were aware that he'd been born of Muggle father who abandoned him and weak willed witch who died at his father's hand. He'd had to work extra hard to show his few allies that he had grown beyond the circumstances of his birth and evolved beyond his cursed birth. He'd undergone many Dark Rites on the way to becoming Lord Voldemort, having creating the name out of an anogram of his birth name. He suspected that Snape had been told the truth by Dumbledore, but the master potions maker had never let it be known if he was aware of the truth.

Snape! A smirk crossed his snakelike face as he considered the dark haired spy. Dumbledore was a fool to trust Snape. Snape was always his, and reported to him on things Dumbledore would not wish him to know, most recently letting him know of the location of the full prophecy regarding the 'one who would defeat the Dark Lord.' He'd also told him of the blood magic protection of Potter's off-school home, and he was working on several possible means to locate the home. He knew it was somewhere near Surrey, as he'd heard from several servants that some Dementors had been sent to that area in the last year, and they would only leave Azkhaban for a prize like Potter or Black.

Black would have no business in that area without Potter there, and Potter would only be there if Dumbledore thought there was a stronger protection there then at Hogwart's or the Order Headquarters, which he still had not been able to find. Legimeting Snape's mind had revealed that the wards around the place kept it's whereabouts hidden even from the order members until Dumbledore allowed them in. And once within the wards, it was impossible to connect to anyone's mind. Except for the strange connection he had with Potter.

He frowned again as feelings of happiness and pleasure coursed alone the thread of the connection he held to the boy. The boy's pleasure was a constant source of irritation, and even pain for him. The boy was more adept now at blocking out his intrusions, but thanks to Snape's 'mishandling' of the boy's Occlumency lessons Dumbledore had ordered just weeks before to block him out after he had campagned to torture the boy with visions of his own death and the deaths of his loved ones, the boy would have no ability to block him when he went for a full strength attack. So he was . . . satisfied to leave the connection alone for know, using it only as a beacon to the boy's whereabouts and his moods.

He leaned back in the chair, reaching down to pet the head of his giant snake, Nagini. He pondered his next move, trying to think of a way to recruit more willing followers to his side so that he could move into a more active role. He hated having to hide away from the public and keeping his Death Eaters from enjoying the slaughter of Muggles and mudbloods. He missed hearing their shrill, helpless cries of pain and fear as they were tortured and forced to watch family killed. He missed the feeling of power that came of watching the knowledge of their own death growing in their eyes that instant before the spell hit, and they died.

Feeling the rush of need coursing through his blood, he scanned his failed servants. One after another, they bowed to him and he thrilled to sense their fear and awe at his might. With casual ease, he gestured at every 3rd of the 9 and those three stepped forward. They were newer recruits, who had been convinced to join by his loyal allies during his long banishment, and he cared nothing for them except as examples as to what happened to htose that failed his commands. "Avada Kadavra!" he whispered and beams of green light cast from his wands, striking the 6 Death Eaters behind them, surprising all who stood in the shadows observing.

His red eyes clowed out from beneath his hood as he addressed the three and those hidden in shadow. "These six have served me for many years and have never failed me until now. Yet, failed me they have and it was their own idiocy that cause the lose of 11 strong Death Eaters while these pathertic fools escaped. Let this be a lesson to you, that familiarity and long service will spare no one from my wrath should you fail my orders. I care not how long you have served me or how successful you have been in the past. If you fail me, you will pay for your failure! Now all of you, leave. Search for means to find both the Order Headquarters and Potter's residence. The one who finds me either will be richly rewarded."

He watched silently as the room of his newly acquired estate. Once the last had gone and he knew he was alone with Nagini, he slumped in exhaustion. He was still weak from his rebirth, and though he was getting stronger, it was not happening as quickly as he expected and he tired often and easily. Using some of his strength, he strengthened the wards in the room to block all from entering, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall into a fitful doze, too tired to even notice Nagini slithering up from her resting spot to cover his form with her own.

Harry was beginning to suspect something odd was going on with Luna. Most of the time she was flightly and almost aetheral. But, when they were alone together, which seemed to be happening a great deal, especially since she was not in Gryffindor. Ron and Hermione were often off in their own world, and he was pretty sure that they'd finally come to acknowledge the bond between them that everyone else had recoknized within minutes of seeing the two in a room together. Dean and Ginny were also spending time together, and Neville was spending most of his free time with Madam Sprout in the Herbology garden.

Much to his surprise, he found himself enjoying those moments of serious Luna displayed when they were alone, and he was wondering how much of her actions around others were real and how much was an act she put on for others. She was bright, nearly as bright as Hermione, and he was learning nearly as much from her as others were learning from him. She'd spend most of her summers travelling to exotic places in search of beasts even wizards considered mythical, and had picked up an immense variety of useful spells that she was willing to share with him. She had allowed him to pass those spells onto the rest HarHarTu, but only if he didn't tell anyone where he learned them.

Most of them were shielding spells, but there were a few attack hexes and curses. One he liked was a living rope spell that would bind the opponent in a rope that would move and act like a snake, and would adapt itself to the struggles of the bound victim. Another was a shield that seemed strong enough to block almost any curse, and would even block flames or water, allowing the caster to walk through a burning building, or stay dry while travelling through a waterfall. If cast properly, it would surround the caster with a bubble of force at twice their armlength in all directions. Luna even told him of a time her and her father had taken a stroll along the bottom of a river to search for the rare water breathing Swistedorf that lived on river bottoms of South America.

He found himself sitting in class, wondering what Luna had thought of particular lectures or what nought, and wondering if Umbridge was causing problems for her house as she had tried to cause for Gryffindor until Ranma's spectacular revelation. He even found himself wondering if he could ask Ranma to let Luna know about Ranma's secrets. At times, it seemed that she was all he could think about, while others, she was all he could think about. If it wasn't for how easy he found himself talking to her and how much he actually enjoyed spending that time with her, he would almsot think he liked her liked her. But he'd never felt so at ease around Cho or the other girls he'd spent time with, aside from Hermoine, Ginny and possibly Tonks. But Hermione was a friend, and she had Ron, and Ginny was like a sister. And Tonks, well, Tonks was a woman, someone he wanted to be like. She was an auror and she and MadEye were his two biggest influences about his possible future. If he lived long enough to have a future.

Shaking his head, he tried to clear thoughts of Luna out of his mind, while focusing on his Charms homework. Flitwick wanted them to write a foot of parchment on the possible uses of simple spells they'd learned in first year like 'Wingardium Leviosa' in self defense. Harry had thought of several, easily recalling Hermione levitating the troll's huge club and dropping it on his head. Or 'Lumos' to help them escape the Devil's Snare. He tried to think of others, but for the last few years, he'd worked mainly on trying to get to know powerful spells, like the Patronus spell and other offensive spells. He'd have to go back over some of his old notes from past classes to see if anything stood out.

He got out of the comfy chair in the common room and marched back to his dorm, where he riffled for his notes from Transfiguration and Charms as well as DADA. While searching the trunk, he pulled out his father's invisibility cloak and forgot all about the lessons. It had been awhile since he'd had a chance to visit Hagrid, and with Ron and Hermione busy with prefect duties, while his other closer friends were off doing stuff together, he decided that an evening stroll down to Hagrid's hut for tea and rock cakes might help him sleep. His scar had itched earlier, and he had wondered what had annoyed Tommy boy enough to let emotion slip back over their connection, but decided that he really didn't want to know.

So, slipping on the cloak, he cast a few silencing charms on himself before working his way out of the Gryffindore tower. He had to wait until the portrait was opened by Dean and Ginny as they were sneaking back into the tower from a hidden snogging session. They didn't stick around the tower as neither wanted Ron to catch them snogging. Which was fine with Ron, since he didn't know what he'd do if he ever walked in and found Ginny snogging someone, so he pretended that she wasn't interested in anyone and ignored the almost aggressive dating she was going through, having already dated 3 different boys this year alone. Of them all, Dean seemed the most serious as she had dated him as long as both others put together. This seriousness increased Ron's blindness to their actions, but Ginny didn't want to force her brother into a stupid reaction by flaunting the relationship, which was about more then snogging, unlike the two previous boys, who'd she'd dated because of how attractive she and her friends thought they were.

Sighing, Harry wondered if he'd ever get the chance to have any kind of relationship with a gir who liked him, as opposed to someone who saw him as a connection to her deceased boyfriend, or who only liked him because he was rich and famous. Though he had liked Cho a great deal, she had only confused her feelings for poor Cedric with the last person to see him alive. He sighed, remembering how beautiful she was up on a broom during the Quidditch games, and how even more beautiful she was up close. But you couldn't build a lasting relationship on suffering and loss, and they'd not lasted long together.

He made it out of the castle with no problems, encountering only scattered students. House curfew was soon, and most were slowly meandering back to their towers, or in the case of Slytherins, their dungeon homes. He made it out and down the hill to Hagrid's hut easily, not needing a lamp on the familliar journey. He did wish he had worn something a bit warmer, as there was a light scattering of snow in the air, but it wasn't anything major. The cloak was warm enough for now and the trip back, though he would have to start planning these little excursions a little more carefully.

He approached the hut and paused, listening for any voices from within. All he heard was Hagrid talking to Fang, something about the project for the younger years. So, feeling safe, he went up and knocked on the huge door.

He lowered the cloak from around his head, wishing it were more cloak like and less blanket like. Maybe he could find someone to fashion it into a proper cloak without damaging the spells that granted invisibility to anything it covered.

"Hello Hagrid, can I come in?" he asked when the door opened and the half-giant stood before him.

Hagrid looked down at Harry and sighed. " 'lo Harry. 'hat you doin' down 'ere at 'his time o' night? Don't ye know what happened today in the forest?"

Harry blinked, surprised that Hagrid didn't seem happy to see him. Usually Hagrid always enjoyed his visits. "No, I hadn't heard anything. Did something happen?"

Hagrid sighed and stepped back into the room, gesturing for Harry to enter. " I might as well tell you, seein' 'ow Dumbledore be letting' ye all know in 'he mornin'." He busied himself with preparing Harry some tea while Harry removed the cloak and set it on a hook by the door.

Finally finished stalling, Hagrid sighed again and took his seat. "There was an attack in the forest, on the far side away from 'he school." he stated calmly. "Seems some Death Eaters gone and 'parated just outside the wards and tried to 'ike through 'he forest to the school. A Centaur patrol caught 'em and 'ey killed 11 o' them. 9 got away. Dumbledore, 'e thinks 'hey come to the school to catch you by yerself, and ye go 'n do something foolish like walking around after dark on yer own. Two Centaurs were 'urt, but it 'twernt serious. Luckily, Centaurs be 'arder to kill 'hen humans."

Harry blinked and took a long drink of tea, trying to let Hagrid's words sink in. It clicked, that this was possibly an explanation for why his scar had tingled earlier and why he'd sensed that Voldemort had been so annoyed earlier. He'd been annoyed that his prized servants had once again failed in capturing Harry, and that they had not even been able to fight off a small patrol of Centaurs. 'If he's getting tired of his Death Eaters, he's probably going to want to get his hands on allies more powerful then them, so he's going to be trying even harder to get the giants on his side and to get other Dark Creatures like trolls and possibly werewolves and vampires.' "Was Firenze in the patrol?" he asked.

"Nah, just a group of youngen's out for a last patrol as children before 'hey 'ave 'er Rites o' Passage and be adults. Twer 12 o' t'em loaded with full quivers and bows and wearin' armor so 'hey were protected some from 'he magic. Any way, Dumbledore, 'e be tellin' ya 'morrow that ya need to stick close to 'he castle, or at least, not go anywhere alone."

Harry sighed, but nodded, both hating and understanding the ancient wizards request. He might not like having to go around with a bunch of people all the time, limiting his already sparse private time to bathroom and shower breaks with what little sleep he managed to get each night thrown in, but he could live with that. He might be brave, but he wasn't a fool. He might have managed to get away during the Triwizard cup, but if Voldemort's plan had worked, he would never have overpowered twenty Death Eaters by himself, and no one would have known for quite awhile that he was even missing. A stray thought came to him and he looked up again at Hagrid's large expressive face.

"Hagrid, didn't Snape say anything about the Death Eaters? How did they even get close to the castle if i'ts supposedly umplotted. Someone here would have had to let them know it's location before they aparated."

"Aye, 'arry, thats true. Snape didn't say, but he did tell Dumbledore 'his afternoon about the plan. Seems he hadn't planned to be sent to Hogsmeade with 'he other Professors, and was supposed to meet them and guide them through to a hidding spot and try and lure ya 'here. 'Course, he would never a' really brought ya, but have some kinda diversion, making 'em leave."

"But if he was really going to make them leave, why bother letting them in in the first place?"

Hagrid studied the boy, no the youn man for a moment before answering. "Snape isn't the only spy You-know-who has at Hogwarts, Harry." he said quietly. He let that sink in and saw the boys eyes widen in surprise. "Dumbledore needed a way to learn who 'the new spy is."

Harry was shocked and a little frightened. There was a Death Eater lurking around the castle and no one knew who it was. He was almost tempted to accuse Malfoy, but it would need to be someone in some position of authority in order to give the details of Hogwarts location to Voldemort. Only the Professor's and the headmaster knew the aparation location of Hogwarts, not even any one in the Ministry knew. So it had to be one of the other professor's, and Harry took a moment to consider possible suspects. The only name that came to his mind was Umbridge. But did the fat whale even know the location?

"Hagrid, does Umbridge know the location of Hogwarts? I mean, does she know the nearest place where people could aparate in?"

Hagrid frowned. "I don't know, 'arry. She might o' been told. Ya think it's 'er?" Hagrid didn't like the old hag, but he didn't know if she was a death eater.

Harry stood and paced in the small hut. "I don't know, Hagrid, but she's up to something. She's not letting any of the houses learn any real magic. She's only letting them read the texts, not practice any of the spells. She's issued orders to all teachers not to actually show or let the studetns try any of the spells. Only Gryffindor is actually doing magic. She's even threatened to confiscate students wands if she catches them doing anything. Well, except for Slytherin. She's letting them do whatever they want, and she is staying away from any of the classes that Gryffindor shares with the other houses, so Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff only do magic when they're in class with us."

Hagrid stirred the fire with his ever present umbrella, causing flares to spike up the chimney. "If ya don't mind, 'arry, I'd like ya not to say anythin' about what ya think. I'll keep an eye on 'er, and if she does anythin' suspicious like, I'll tell Dumbledore."

Harry didn't like it, but he agreed to hold back for now. He'd also keep an eye on the whale, and let some of his friends know what he thought. Luna would be helpful there, since she was in Hufflepuff. She'd be able to spy on her when she mistreated the students of her house and Ravenclaw. And how she favored Slytherin. Luna would believe him and might come to the same conclusion. Hermione would try and suggest they wait for more proof, but considering everything that the fat bitch had done, who else could it be?

Ku Lon of the Amazons had lived a great many times longer than the average person and most of that time had been in one battle after another. She had witnessed things too horrible to speak of, and had done things no sane person should ever be forced to do. All her life had been devoted to securing a peaceful existence for her people and ensuring their preeminence in the field of martial arts. Nothing else had mattered, not the laws of nations or the feelings of individuals. The village was all that mattered.

As Honored Grandmother of the Amazon tribe, she now had the power to ensure such a feat. All she need do was secure the aid of the Saotome Childe and his Chosen Bride and the safety of her people would be secured for the length of Saotome's life. Given events of the last year or so, that life was lengthy even beyond her three centuries of existence. Soon his Chosen would also grow into the Cold Dragon's gift, and they would rule their land for centuries. With Haabu of the Musk as their most trusted ally, and the Jokoketsu and Pheonix peoples reunited into one people, and a home land of their own having been created, that security was almost ensured at this time.

Only fools like this so called Lord Voldemort and others like him around the world threatened that peace. The PRA, the North Vietnamese, and assorted so called 'freedom' fighters, 'patriots' and religious zealots were obstacles to peace world round and threats to her newly rejoined people. There would always be such threats in the world, but as long as there existed people like Saotome and this Harry Potter to keep them in check, then the world as a whole was safe. Saotome's power was incredible and only the most foolish would think they could survive his wrath. She suspected though, that Ranma's growth into a Cold Dragon had also cursed him with a dragon's weaknesses to magical attacks and mental manipulation.

That idiot boy who attacked on the first day here had not had enough power to affect Ranma even if Ranma had allowed the attacks to hit him. However, if all she'd heard about this Voldemort and his Death Eaters was even partially correct, then they could indeed harm Ranma. Dumbledore had let it be known to her that Voldemort was a master of an art known as Legimency, which allowed him to slip into the minds of any he wished, save those who practiced it's counterpart, Occlumency. And that didn't even take into account his sheer power as a wizard. From what she'd read and been told, he was one of, if not the most powerful, wizards in centuries, perhaps even going back as far as the founding of this school and his ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. Appearantly, he'd also undergone a great many dark rituals to increase his strength, and though he would still be somewhat weak now from his rebirth near the end of the last school year.

But his weakness would not last. Even now, the feeling of approaching danger grew rapidly. It was a distance away, but still powerful enough for her to sense. In relative to the power she was used to feeling, it might even be a match for Ranma and Haabu's levels in relation to their respective arts. It seems that Voldemort was possibly the wizarding equivilant of Ranma and Haabu, and while Dumbledore had a strong signature as did the Potter boy, neither was near a match to what she could feel from the Dark Wizard.

She frowned and took a drag on her pipe while contemplating both her thoughts and the potions she was currently brewing for her next class. She'd noticed lately that her granddaughter had been absent from her presence a great deal and spending a lot of time with students whose auras were rife with darkness. She wondered if Dumbledore was even aware of just how many trully dark beings resided in the castle, or if he was unaware of the rather surprising number of students who'd given themselves wholy to the dark.

Deciding that she could use some intelligence on some of the creatures they might be encountering, she decided to seek out one who had the most practical experience with evil: Sirius Black. She had spoken little to the mysterious man, but enough to know that he had experienced a grave injustice and false impisonement. While his aura was tainted with darkness, it was also filled with truth. Whatever else he may be, Sirius Black was not one to wallow in lies. If he claimed to not have been responsible for the deaths for which he was sentenced, then she was forced to believe him. He might be be wholely innocent in all things, for there was a darkness residing inside him, but he was a good man. A man of truth and honor. And quite powerful too, for one who'd spent 13 years in a place as bleak as Azkhaban. The mere name was enought to cause a shiver in her. During her first time here, as a student, she had been sent to that hell spawned isle for 3 months for performing a spell that this area of the world considered as a Dark Art. She wouldn't wish that on any one, especially not the foul creatures, the Dementors. Black had the most experience of any still living with those creatures, barr the boy, and he might be able to offer insights into their minds.

They were Voldemorts most numerous and powerful allies. They were also his most loyal. No one knew of any weakness save the Patronus spell, and they needed to find a way to defeat them, and not just scare them away. Otherwise, they would simply attack as one and pick off small groups of beings incapable of casting the spell.

No, they needed to find a more effective counter to the Dementors, for those foul creatures were Voldemorts greatest advantage at the moment. Once they were found a means to counter the soul suckers, then they could likely easily deal with his Death Eaters and other allies and leave him for the Potter boy to kill. As was his right and his right alone.

Cackling as she bounced through the halls in search of the illusive Black, she failed to notice the fearful scattering of students as they ran beyond her sight.


	18. Section 18

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY.

Thank you all for reviews and comments on my story. It feels great to know that so many of you are enjoying my little mind trip into these worlds.

First, I've placed updated and editted chapter 10-17 onto the site and am working on 1-9. I've fixed a few problems and hopefully answered some questions people have pointed out.

I know that in cannon, Luna Lovegood is in Ravenclaw, but I have the Tonks/Luna in Hufflepuff, since I don't really have any characters on the inside of Hufflepuff. Well, there's Kasumi and Ono, but I'm keeping them as realatively minor characters who are only occassionaly mentioned, especially when it comes to their own learning about magic. Of all the martial artists at Hogwarts, only Kulon is well versed in magic, and Shampoo is mediocre at it, except for potions, where she has learned a great deal from her grandmother.

I hope you like this chapter and the future chapter.

For the remainder of the story, when Ranma is female, he will be addressed by all as female and when Akane is male, she will be addressed as male. So when talkign to or about each other, they will use the appropriate gender references.

ie. A male Akane talking about Ranma in female form would refer to Ranma as his wife. A female Ranma would refer to a male Akane as her husband, and those times they are the same gender, they will refer to each other as my spouse. So in a non dialogue paragraph, it would be Akane joined her spouse as she smiled at her. Or Ranma joined his spouse as the larger man took a stance. Did I make it clear? Everyone understand? Then Let's Get Ready To ...READ ON!

START STORY

Fred and George came tearing through the portrait hole and looked around with wide, nearly panicked eyes. They spotted their prey and made their way over quickly, shoving aside the occassional student as the focussed slowly on reaching their goal.

"Harry! Ranma! You've got to-"

"-know this! Umbridge -"

"-Somehow got the Ministry to reverse-"

"-The rules again, making it -"

"-Off bounds to joind non sanctioned -"

"-clubs and also made it so that any student-"

"-who has had more then 5 detentions-"

"-inelligible to play or join any of the sanctioned-"

"-clubs. Like Quidditch or Charms Club. Do you know -"

"-What this means, mate? You, Fred and me are off -"

"The Gryffindor team and there's nothing-"

"-anyone can do this time. They've decided that-"

"-they don't have to listen to the threats of a foreign power-"

"Such as Ranma here."

"And that while they are not cancelling any of the APPROVED-"

"Clubs, no NEW or nonMinistry run and sanctioned clubs can form."

"Which means that HarHarTu is now-"

"-Off limits and that any students found taking part in it or any -"

"-similar clubs will be expelled and their wands confiscated and destroyed."

Harry's eyes had gone back and forth as the twins spoke, widdening in anger and outrage as the impact of their speech filtered through his mind. "WHAT!"

The twins nodded and sat heavily on the table across from Harry and Ranma, who were studying Charms. "Umbridge also got them to make it so that no student not on a Quidditch team is not allowed to bring their own brooms. Any student not on a team has to surrender their broom where it will be locked up until the end of term. Also, she's managed to get Sirius put under guard at all times, even during class. They haven't been able to sack him, but they are able to limit what he can and can't teach. That's why he hasn't been around as much as he wants. He had wanted to help out with HarHarTu when we mentioned it too him last week, but Umbridge must have found out and now he's under constant watch."

Harry was shaking in anger now while Ranma looked thoughtfully from one twin to the other. Harry was gripping the arms of the chair so tightly his hands where nearly as white as the castle ghosts.

"Fred's right, mates." George added. "Not only that, but she's also made it so that any body who starts a fight or curses another student will be expelled. All house points must be approved by Umbridge, but she can assign or take points away however she wants. Trelawney's been sacked and Divination been cut from the course until a 'Ministry approved suitable instructor' can be hired."

Fred looked to Ranma who was still looking at them thoughtfully. "She's managed to get all those changes she first put in that you had the Ministry reverse cancelled as well. So she's now able to read any incoming or outgoing mail, and confiscate any material she deems 'innapropriate' or 'subversive'. She's also convinced them t olet her form a group of students to keep track of things when she isn't around. So if you did something with them around, they can report to her and you can be punished."

George looked grim. "Three guesses who she put in charge of her little Squad. And 2 don't count."

Harry shot up from the chair and started to pace angrily. "Malfoy!" he stated through gritted teeth. "Is there anything else?" he asked, trying to contain his anger.

The twins sighed. "She's back to 'evaluating' during Gryffindor classes. She sat in during our class today, and kept interrupting class asking if he should really be teaching us such spells. I heard she even sat in on the 2nd years and baited Snape."

"I feel sorry for the kids in that class, with those two sniping at each other, and Umbridge stopping Snape from doing any demonstrations." George stated. "It was bad enough having to sit in class with Sirius galring at her and her flanked by two huge guards to make sure he didn't do anything she deemed innapropriate. Most boring class we've had this year. I almost feel bad for Sevie. He finally gets what he always wants, DADA, and now he can't actually TEACH anything."

Fred nodded his ascent to his brother's comment. "Sirius is usually one of the better classes, him having been in the Auror Specials Squads. Been showing us a lot of good curses and jinxes that would be right usefull in a real fight. But today, he had to keep to just theory stuff and no practicals."

"Sirius isn't going to be too happy with that." Harry stated, feeling a bit better that he wasn't the only person being affected by the Ministry's idiotic interference. Hell, even Fred and George were off the team now, so it wasn't like they were unaffected. He retook his seat and sighed loudly. "I'm sorry guys, that you're off the team too. Umbridge has something against me, and she's doing everything she can to make sure no one will help me or want me around."

Fred and George grinnned. "Don't worry, Harry. You aren't going to loose us. We are sticking around to help you out. And besides-"

"Just because the old toad says aren't allowed to do something-"

"Doesnt mean we're going to stop doing it. After all, what kind of -"

"Pranksters would we be if we listened to such idiots like -"

"Fudgey-wudgy and UberBitch?"

"We'll pass the word, Harry, that HarHarTu lives, if you still want to continue?"

Harry grinned at the pair. "Continue? I want to increase! Instead of only small groups, I want to get us all together and start really practicing some of the spells we've studied. I'll try and find a room we can use that Umbridge won't be able to find us. Maybe Sirius has an idea. You two, let the house know. I'll talk to Luna and we can have Ron and Hermione talk to the other prefects to see who's still interested. I know Ernia and Hannah will still come, but I don't know about Michael Corner or his friends. They really only came to the study groups because Michael was dating Ginny for a while, but now that she's with Dean, I don't know if he'll want to risk it.

I doubt that the Ministry will expell EVERYONE, if they all come, but I don't care if they kick me out. It's not like I'm really learning much right now anyway, or that I'll need to finish school and get a job. My vault is still completely full, and doesn't look like I've touched it yet. I oculd live for years off whats in there, and can always try out for a professional Quidditch team or something if I need a job. I think us learning as much as we can now, before Voldemort stops hiding and starts attacking again is more important than any damn OWL or NEWT scores. If I am kicked out, doesn't mean I'm going to listen to the damn Minsitry and stop doing magic. I've got one of the most powerful and evil wizards in centuries just looking to get a chacne at killing me, and I'm going to do what ever it takes to stay alive. Even if I have to learn Dark Arts myself."

Fred and George had grim expressions on their faces, something looking quite odd on their usually jovial faces. "We're with you, Harry. No matter what. Fudge is nearly as bad as You-Know-who, and Umbridge might as well be a Death Eater, if she isn't one right now. They're certainly doing all they can to make sure that the Dark Lord can just waltz in without any real opposition. Most of the wizards and witches strong enough to oppose them don't have any real political power, excepting maybe Dumbledoree and Madam Bones. Fudge is too busy spending Malfoy gold to see what's really going on in the world. It's time for the truth to get out, and we'll do anything we can to help you, Harry."

"We all are." came a voice from behind them.

Startled, Harry spun and crouched, drawing his wand and pointing where he'd heard the voices. He was surprised to find some people he knew standing there.

Neville, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, Luna and Akane were facing the four. Each had equally grim expressions on their faces and their arms crossed in front of themselves. The serious looks were especially strange on the usually nervous Neville and the usually distant Luna. There was something in her eyes that Harry recognized. A look he'd seen before but couldn't quite place. Her eyes flashed and he could swear that they had changed color as well. But maybe it was a trick of the light.

Neville spoke again, his voice having no trace of his usual nervous stutter. "We are with you, Harry. No one, no one, is going to stop us from learning what we need to learn. Not Umbridge, Not Fudge and sure as hell not Voldemort!" Harry gawked as his normally passive friend seemed to exude a confidence and strength he had never before displayed. Dimly, Harry noted that Neville had nearly snarled Voldemort's name with absolutely no hesitation or stutter that even Hermione had when she managed to say it. Only himself and Dumbledore could say it with the ease that Neville had displayed, not even Sirius or MadEye could say it so calmly.

Hermione continued where Neville stopped. "Let Fudge and his corrupt Ministry give whatever decrees they want! Those decrees only apply to the United Kingdom, something Fudge seems to forget. We can always leave to attend a different school in another part of the world. I'm sure that any school in the world would be happy to accept the famous Harry Potter and his friends."

"There are other options as well." stated Ranma, speaking for the first time since Fred and George had shown up. Akane had moved to join his wife. "You are always welcome to come to my home with me. My people could always use your help learning to control their own gifts. The Ministry has no authority over my people even if they can affect any of the other Ministries or schools. Angwan is a sovereign nation owing fealty to Japan and as such, is completely outside the bounds of ANY Ministry of any country. Because of this, we can do what we wish and all they can do is declare war on us, and if they do, Japan's wizarding population will side with us, as will most oriental and the wizards of Australia and New Zealand. Your British Ministry might look down on others and hold itself as being in charge of the wizarding world because they're one of the oldest continueous Ministries, but really, they are only a small section of the worlds magical population."

"Where did you learn all that?" asked Harry, impressed with Ranma's knowledge and the political power he seemed to possess.

Ranma blushed and placed a hand behind her head, playing with her red braid. "Er, Ku Lon and some of the Elders have been trying to teach me this stuff since I'm technically in charge of the country. They feel I need to know about this political stuff in order to deal with other countries."

Everyone shared a grim chuckle. Events were starting to grow darker and lines were starting to be drawn. Harry and his friends had just stated that there was now a third branch in the coming war, one siding with neither the Ministry nor with Voldemort. A neutral branch that would work to protect all mankind, Muggles and Wizard alike, from the excesses of the coming conflict. The side of Light might be split between the fools following the corrupt and egodriven Fudge and the powerful, but ancient Dumbledore, but Harry and his friends would stand firm against all in their quest to finally finish Voldemort and stop his reign of terror. They would be outside of Ministry authority, and would take whatever steps they needed to take to defeat the more powerful and more experienced Death Eaters. Alone, neither Dumbledore nor Fudge would be able to rally enough people to hold in an open conflict against Voldemort. And that was likely one of his plans with having Malfoy and other prominent Death Eaters bribing the weak and fearful and causing the strife between Dumbledore and Fudge to weaken any possible attempts to gather a force strong enough to effectively oppose his growing Death Eater and Dark Creature army.

"So we agree then?" stated Neville, looking at every one in the common room. "We follow Harry, no matter where it takes us? Even if it means having to abandon Hogwarts or turn away from our families? Even if we are cast out of British society and deemed outlaws? Even if they hold trials and sentence us all to Azkaban?"

Grim nods greeted Neville's words. They were now set on their path, and would allow nothing to derail them. With Ranma's support, Harry's tutulage and their determination, they would never give up. Nothing but death would stop them from accomplishing their goal: The utter and total defeat of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Wether by death or prison, they would allow none to escape them and would continue their task no matter the opposition.

Each drew there wands and placed the tips together, with Ranma and Akane each placing a glowing hand over the wands. The blue glow of their hands spread over the wands and up their arms to encase them all in it's brilliance.

CHANGE POV

Ryoga grinned as he watched Taro showing another student the throw they'd been practicing that day. Most of the house had now become hardy enough to survive the real training so he and Taro had begun teaching their housemates the secrets that they'd spent their lives learning. They'd decided that Taro would focus on the softer and more aerobatic arts as he had more experience with them while Ryoga would concentrate on the harder and more linear arts. Right now, Taro was teaching a few of the yougner students and some of the older females some moves from Tai Chi and Akido, while Ryoga was leading the stronger students in a mix of Muya Thai and Jeet Kung Do.

Muya Thai focussed mainly on knee and elbow strikes while Jeet Kung do was more punch oriented and Ryoga was going to teach them to have a balanced attack. Taro would focus on defense through Akido and Tai Chi, since those were his specialties. Only Ranma and Happosai were consistently able to land blows on the Chinese boy, who was quite likely the best defensive martial artist in the world, including the Amazons. Ryoga had personaly witnessed, during one of his little journeys as Taro walked to the Amazon village and placed on open challenge to any warrior of the tribe. Ryoga had been amazed as he watched Taro defeat over 30 of the best warriors the tribe offered. Including three of the elders. And later, talking over their mutual distaste towards Ranma, he'd learned that Taro had gone to the village simply because he was bored.

Ryoga could think of only three of four people he'd ever met who might even come close to the pure skill the Chinese boy possessed and he was reluctant to admit that he was not one of them. He might be stronger and more durable, but he had much less pure skill and knowledge about the arts then Taro. Not even Ranma was his match when it came to the pure forms. Only Haabu, Ku Lon and Happossai were his equals in those areas, even if Ranma had more raw power then all the others combined. It was Ranma's adabtability and the sheer number of arts he'd mastered that really put him on even footing with Happossai and Ku lon. Each were masters of their arts, but they had focussed mainly on their own arts and had little actual knowledge of others, especially those from places other then the East.

Ryoga himself had studied the arts of dozens of countries, but could not equal the number Ranma had mastered. He grinned as he watched his new friend toss Taro over her shoulder and twist him to his stomach and restrain him with a wristlock. She was progressing rapidly and he suspected that she would be among the three they would select to represent Ravenclaw at the end of year tournament.

He would meet with Ranma and go over the details of the tournament again. He'd also tease his sometime friend over his own growing proficiency with magic, as he knew that Ranma was having trouble learning magic. He felt much better about sticking around the annoying bastard knowing that he was finally better at something them him. Even if it was something like magic and not the martial arts in which he had always tried to best Ranma. Grinning, he took out his wand, 9'inches of Douglas Fir, a rarity in England, with Razorback tusk shivers for a core. He studied the wand for a moment before casting a simple Breeze charm that cause a stir in the air that refreshed and cooled off the heavily sweating students.

"All right, class." He called out, replacing his wand in the holster at his waist. "I think that's about enough for today. 2nd years, it's your turn to clean up. Gather all the extra weights and put them on the Racks and dry and roll up the mats. Then put them in the storage room in the Tower. Tomorrows a day off, so you can all relax, but I would like it if you can study the texts we provided and write a half parchment on a Duel of your choice, including any possible ways in which you might have added a spell, curse, or jinx to the battle if you were taking part in it. That's for next class. The person with the best and most timely use of magic in the Duel will receive a Gift Certificate for Quality Quidditch supplies in the value of 200 Galleons, courtesy of Lord Ranma of Angwan. The second and third best essays will get a 20 Galleon Certificate for Zonko's, and a 10 Galleon Certificate for Honeyduke's. See you all in a couple of days."

The gather Ravenclaws scatter, each going to their communal grade showers. Unlike Gryffindor, which had small Muggle College dorm style showers, Ravenclaws, being of a practical nature, had larger highschool style communal showers separated into grade and gender. So where there was usually a lineup at the doors of the Gryffindor shower stalls, the Ravenclaws had a setup where all the students could shower at the same time or separately as they so desired. Only the Slytherins knew how their facilities were set up, as they never talked outside their house, and Hufflepuff had a set up similar to Gryffindor, only with enough showers that there wasn't as much waiting.

Every knew that the prefects and Heads had their own facilities as part of their perks. Each Head also had their own quarters in their respective houses, and the prefects ahd to share with each other. With 2 prefects per house, and 1 Head boy and 1 Head girl, the competition for those positions was fierce and often quite frustrating for those involved. The choices didn't always make the most sense, hence both Ron and Draco's appointments, but there was always sound reasoning behind the Headmaster's decisions. It was considered an hnorable and respected task to tease the more laid back prefects, especially by Gryffindor.

Ravenclaws had no such cumpuctions and took a great deal of pride in obeying the rules and listening to the prefects. So it was that one Draco Malfoy, prefect, came upon the group of 2nd year students, magically lugging the equipment from the hall they'd been using as a training facilities for their class. Unfortunately for them, Ryoga and Taro had already left to the showers, and they were left to Draco's mercy on their own.

CHANGE POV

Draco stood surveying the group of Ravenclaw students with an arrogant smirk on his face. He was flanked as always by the hulking forms of Crabbe and Goyle. Each was dressed in nearly formal robes of deepest black trimmed with several shades of green. Draco's Slytherin prefect badge was shinning brightly on the right side of his chest, and a new badge was on his left. Crabbe and Goyle had the same style badge, only smaller and less ornate on their chests as well. Unlike the prefect badges, which were gold and bronze, the new badge was silver and had the seal of the new High Inquisitor's Squad, a stylized H.I.Ss symbol with the seal of the Ministry in the background. Where the prefect's badge was in the chape of a shield, the HISs badge was more along the lines of a 5 pointed star with a ring connecting the arms of the star.

"What do you think you're doing, fools?" he sneered towards the closest group.

Gulping nervously, the light haired boy closest to the trio answered. "Sir, Sensei Ryoga asked us to clean up and bring our supplies back to our tower."

Draco's sneer darkened further. He'd heard much from his own teachers, Mu Tsu, and Xian Pu about the foolish followers of the thrice damned Ranma Saotome. From what he'd heard, this Ryoga was a fool and idiot, who turned into a pig when splashed with cold water. He could get lost extremely easily, except for here on the Hogwarts grounds which somehow stopped his wild Aparating ability. Draco couldn't understand how someone as dumb as he was told Ryoga was made it into Ravenclaw, but appareantly Ryoga had a gift for languages and picked things up quickly, even if he didn't know how to act around people.

"Did you not listen to the Headmaster when he reminded us that magic is forbidden in the halls?" He cast a quick wave of his wand, and whispered "Finite Incantum." and all the equipment dropped. Some of the weights fell of ftheracks and one of the dumbbells landed on a girls foot, breaking it. Draco ignored her starteld outcry and whimpers of pain. "I'm docking your house 5 points each for breaking the No Magic rule in the halls, and another 5 points each for breaking the No Unneccasary Magic rule just passed by Professor Umbridge. Now all of you, pick up your junk and get t oclass. It's cluttering the hall." He smirked at them. "You don't want to lose more points for littering in the halls, now do we?"

He watched as the students struggled to gather the mats and weights without magic, listening idly as Crabbe and Goyle whispered their appreciatino for his cleverness to him. He was annoyed by the girls whimpering as some of her friends helped her up and cast a silencing charm on her, enjoying watching them carry the heavy equipment. He followed them all the way to the Ravenclaw Tower Portrait, then left them there to return to the Slytherin dungeon. Perhaps he would seek out the delightful company of some of the friendlier Slytherin girls for the rest of the afternoon. Or maybe, he would join Xian Pu and seek to further aid her in her plans to destroy the bastard who had humiliated him on the first day. He grinned again as another thought struck him. Or maybe he would wander the hall and dock more points from foolish students who followed the thrice cursed Potter.

Whatever he did, he thought quietly, as his friends shoved aside some smaller students and docked them points for loittering, things were certainly looking up for him today!

END CHAPTER

AN So what do you all think? Let me know if what you liked, what you hated, what you think is coming up next. What you would like to see.

And I know I've already shown a lot of details of what the level of skills are, but I've always done so from Ranma or Akane's POV and only a bit from any one elses. Each person sees things differently, and tries to hide their real skill from others, so above, when Ryoga is thinking about Taro's skill, he's just giving what he thinks about the relative skills of the Nerima crew. Some people have written that I go into too much detail about the different abilities each has, but I want to make it clear that what I am showing is just what each individual person thinks about themselves and those around them. And Ryoga is kind of obsessed with where he is ranked among the martial artists as for the longest time his only goal in life was to be better then Ranma, so now he's always thinking of how good he is compared to the people Ranma fights in order to get a sense of how close his own skills and abilities are to Ranma's.


	19. Section 19

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY.

Thank you all for reviews and comments on my story. It feels great to know that so many of you are enjoying my little mind trip into these worlds.

This is going to be a lot involved in this chapter, so please keep up. There's a long recap of main events in the HP world given from Harry's POV later. Just to show what I see as his feelings and thoughts regarding what happened. After all, while we the readers know what happened, not everyone in the HP verse is aware of all the facts of the various adventures that have taken place in recent years. They only know the main points, and some don't believe them, as they are reluctant to believe rumors without proof. Harry is going to try and give them proof.

STORY STARTS

Xian Pu smiled sweetly to her grandmother, who was trying to explain to her class about a rather simple potion that they were having trouble with. It might have been a result of their having never heard of any of the ingredients until today, or that her grandmother was refusing to go into details of what the purpose of the potion was for. She knew, as it had been one of the many potions she had been required to master before she'd finished her schooling in the village.

It was a simple potion, used mostly as a truth serum, but also used as a means of detecting a persons inner aura into a visible spectrum. It was more powerful then the potion used here in Britain, the one she'd read about in her text, but it was also harder to make because of the rarity of it's ingredients. There's nothing really special about the brewing or mixing of the ingredients, but since they were only found in a remote area of the Himalayan mountain range. The entire area was guarded by a tribe even more insular then her own, and it must have taken quite a lot of effort to get enough of the special mosses and flower seeds to make enough of the potion to cover all the students.

Xian Pu cared none for the cost of the ingredients as whatever it had cost, she was well aware that the Amazon vaults, which had been relocated to the raised island of Angwan, could afford ten times the amount here and still show no evidence of having dwindled. And now, her grandmother had the combined resources of the Amazon, Musk, and Phoenix peoples, not to mention the ongoing underwater mining operations that had been started by Ranma and Haabu after their discovery of the Pearls of Wisdom.

She waited until her grandmother hopped over to aid another of the weak students before allowed her smile to slip into a sneer. She was looking forward to a time when she could cast aside this deception and show her grandmother her true skills. While her grandmother was distraction, she shifted into the Amaguriken and gathered a few of the most rare and dangerous ingredients for her own use. Her sneer remained in place as she mixed a few of the leaves and seeds she'd just taken into the potion, nullifying the effects, but otherwise undetectable. It would fool even her grandmother into thinking the potion was effective, and unless you were aware that it was nullified, the hypnotic qualities of the full potion would still cause you to tell the truth. It would now also display a false aura, usually of weak strength and of a neutral nature.

She wasn't even supposed to be aware that the potion could be altered in this manner, but she'd learned of it when going through her grandmother's special notes and perfected the alteration some years before. It was how she had constantly fooled her grandmother whenever the old biddy tried to use it on her, as she dosed herself with the counter potion on a monthly basis. Usually the potion wore off after a few minutes, but the counter potion was good for a full month. Her grandmother had first hidden it's use on her after she'd returned to the village after the disastrous encounter with Ranma during her first trip to Japan. After she'd seen what the boy looked like, she'd come up with the plan to fool her grandmother into having her chase after the obnoxious idiot, and she'd occasionally be tested by her grandmother, who was trying to learn if Xian was truly besotted with the youth or simply doing what she thought was her duty.

If she had let on that she was only doing as the laws prescribed, she knew that her grandmother could have cancelled the 'engagement' with ease, as there were several clauses in the marriage laws that allowed the Amazon to renounce her 'husband'. So she had taken the counter potion and used her grandmother's own arrogance to her ends in making the old fool believe that she truly loved the disgusting aquatransexual, allowing her to remain in Japan and cement some alliances and contacts within the less reputable members of the Japanese population. She didn't even mind that she'd had to perform some rather personally revolting acts to bind those she'd needed to her cause, for she was willing to sacrifice every thing she had, if it meant a return to glory and honor for her tribe. Instead of the near simpering subservience they had grown to adopt towards first the PRA, and now the hated and despised duo of Ranma and Haabu.

But her plans were proceeding well, and without the slightest hint of suspicion. She'd used the cover of extra sessions with several of those tainted with the Dark to contact their master, and he seemed open to her aid. She'd provided the names of several powerful warriors who would willingly oppose Ranma and his nation. She had given Taro's name, but had been forced to remove him from the list of potential allies when she witnessed him arrive at Hogwarts and come to an arrangement with the bastard. Of course, she had a secret weapon in Mouse, having carefully plied him with subtle mind control potions over the course of the previous years, as well as another application of the eggs to bind him completely to her will. She had forced him to portray himself as a buffoon, and he had done so willingly. No one realized how powerful the idiot truly was, and how dangerous he could be thanks to his skill in hidden weapons. She'd made him wear those glasses, even though she'd cured his eyesight years ago.

With her suggestion, he had come to believe that he was still nearly blind and had no idea himself how powerful he was. She had been sculpting him into the perfect weapon. She had leant him out as an assassin on several occasions, causing much consternation on the behalf of the police due to the violent and often puzzling nature of his kills. They couldn't believe that anyone could carry the sheer number and variety of weapons used to slaughter the targets on them without being slowed too much for them to complete the tasks. Not those that had hired the services of her tool could understand how Mouse did it. Still, after they had personal strip searched the man and he'd still managed to kill three of them with weapons he'd drawn seemingly out of thin air when they tried to take the same liberty with herself, they'd stopped doubting her claims.

She took a quick glance at one of her allies, and touched her elbow three times in the spot where his master's servants bore his mark. The girl's eyes widened and she glanced around before nodding and tapping her arm in the same spot three times in agreement.

Hearing her grandmother finish with the other student, she returned her attention dutifully to watching over her potion, knowing that it was perfect by the slight hint of almonds in the air and the tan color of the thick liquid. She scooped out some of the potion and poured it into a flask to hand in, and then taking a glance to make sure her grandmother wasn't watching, she pulled a larger modern thermos out of her sleeve, a trick she'd learned thanks to Mouse. She poured half the remaining amount into the thermos, before taking out the wand she'd gotten and casting the cleaning spell on the leftover. She hated wasting any of the potion, but she had enough for herself and her allies to hide their actions from her grandmother.

As she bounced to the desk at the head of the class to place her flask, she smiled sunily, even though her grandmother was looking at her disapprovingly. If all went well, she'd have Ranma's head on a pole and be using his corpse for target practice before the end of the year.

Now, to prepare to speak for the first time with her new ally, the Dark Wizard, Lord Voldemort.

POV CHANGE

Luna Lovegood was starting to get worried. Thanks to the damn Ministry sponsored mail and news inspections, as well as their watch on the Floo network and WNN, she now had no means to contact her allies on the outside of the school. She had been due to check in with them the previous day, but thanks to Fudge giving Umbridge nearly complete control of all outside materials entering the school, could no longer get in touch with her associates. Not even Dumbledore was able to get in touch with his allies. And most of them were currently here at the school anyway, though he did have several outside options if he could reach them. MadEye and Kingsley must be getting worried by now, she thought to herself as her hair and face shifted to their natural form for a moment as the worry took over her mind. Luckily, she was alone at the moment, having decided to use the usually vacant girls lavatory on the 2nd floor.

Stealing herself, she again forced her body to take on the shape of her assignment. She hated being forced to take this form, as it was a constant reminder of the death of her young friend. She had loved Luna like a sister, taking great joy in their often odd conversations. She felt that Luna truly saw her, one of the few who did. Most saw her just as a mediocre, clumsy witch, and only wanted her around was because of her metamorphmagi skills. Even those few times she had tried dating had lead to nothing but frustration as they all sought to make her something she wasn't. She stood from the stall she was hiding in, and moved to the sink, washing her face. She studied her form in the mirror, taking a chance to analyze her changed body.

The only good thing, if it was a good thing, was that Luna was build considerable like herself, so there wasn't much difference in their bodies. The only real changes she had to make to portray Luna was in her face and hair. She felt a moment of irritation that her body was no further advanced then that of a 16 year old girl, but laughed ruefully. She had long ago given up believing in a final growth spurt and resigned herself to the fact that without cosmetic aid, her natural form was done growing. It wasn't like she couldn't just change certain aspects of her physiology as she wished, though she also was of the firm belief that anyone she might have a relationship would have to like her as she was, and not as some overly busty, too thin bimbo. Still, she thought to herself, I wish I was built more like my mother and the rest of the family. Narcissa and Bellatrix might be among the worst people on the planet, but they are undeniably also among the most beautiful. God, I hate being related to such evil bitches.

Deciding to end her self pity party, she focussed instead on trying to think of a means to get in touch with her friends. There was another Hogsmead weekend coming up, and they had already established a place to drop of messages should the normal means be cut off. She would have to ask Fred and George for another of their marvelously clever Cell Phones thingies. She'd drop it with a note about the uses of the magically charged object, as neither MadEye or Kingsley were aware of the advances in Muggle communication technology.

Now that that was decided, she could concentrate rather perversely on the rather embarrassing crush she was continuing to develop on one Harry Potter. She was finding it more and more difficult to keep her feelings regarding him in check, and it had gotten much more difficult since his impassioned speech several days before. She had seen a passion in his eyes that had not been there before. A sense of strength and conviction that she had never before seen in any one save Albus Dumbledore. She had known in that instance that she would do everything in her power to make sure he would live to become the man she'd gotten a glimpse of. Maybe one day, she'd even be able to share the truth of her identity with him.

With a final glance in the mirror, she set her face into the dreamy expression Luna was known for, and the Nymphadora Tonks left to find the mischievous pair, never once noting the presence of the pale, ghostly figure watching her from it's spot in what was it's final resting place.

POV CHANGE

Draco was having the time of his life. Ever since Umbridge had come to the school, he had been the undisputed King of the students. It was a role that should have been his by birthright the moment he'd walked through the doors, if not for that damned Potter. Potter was Dumbledore's favorite, getting away with more then any other student, and being granted favors no other student had ever received.

Now, with Umbridge here on behalf of the Ministry, and his father having the ear-and pocketbook- of the Minister, he was finally being given the chance to show his natural superiority over the peons who polluted the wizarding world with their mixed blood. He'd already shown his new power as head of the HISs towards a group of 2nd year Ravenclaws, as well as docking triple points from some foolish Hufflepuffs who'd had the audacity to chuckle when Crabbe and Goyle had bulled him over when he'd had to stop to wait for the stairs to stop moving. It was sheer luck that he hadn't falling three levels.

After that, he'd had a pleasant evening in the company of a pair of 3rd years who had been eager to make sure that he advise his father that heir parents were sympathetic to his opinions regarding the sorry state of the wizarding world. He'd assured them in turn that he'd pass word to his father, though he had no intention of doing so. If their parents were of any worth, his father would already know of their standing. Since the girls had been rather shabbily dressed, he'd come to conclude that while their hearts were in the right place, they were of no consequence in the coming war. Anyone who gave their children a set of robes last fashionable two decades before, would have little to offer his father and the Dark Lord. Except perhaps to provide similar services as their daughters had provided him.

And to top it all off, he'd been able to quite honestly and without any obscuring of the rules been able to dock several of Potter's closest associates points for a variety of indiscretions on their part. He'd caught the Weasel twins trying to sell banned goods to a few younger students, and later, had caught the annoyingly cheerful Creevy brothers trying to show a charm to a pair of Hufflepuffs that was outside of the school curriculum. He'd given them 3 days detention, and docked them each 20 points, as per the guidelines of the Hogwarts charter, and the new HISs guidelines that were being distributed to all students regarding the use of improper magic on the Hogwarts grounds, and the punishments for the misuse of magic by any student caught doing any unapproved magic on school property.

The only frustrating thing was his continued inability to master the tricks they were being shown by Mu Tsu. He was unable to hide more then one or two small daggers. It irked him that even his buffonish followers Crabbe and Goyle had at least managed to hide larger objects and weapons. His only consolation was that they were having as much difficulty mastering Xian Pu's lessons as he was having mastering Mu Tsu's.

The three of them were currently patrolling the lower levels after dark for any students who were sneaking out after the newly instituted curfew. They had caught a few older students earlier in the library, but were unable to punish them since they had displayed passes from their various teachers allowing them the use of the library for an extra study session for the end of year exams. Draco had been reluctant to allow them to remain, but the passes had been signed by both the teachers(Professors McConagall and Professor Vector) and by Umbridge herself. So he had given them a warning that next time they were to be out after hours, they should advise HISs, so that there were no further mistakes.

Now, they were hoping to find bigger fish to fry. A well placed spy in Potter's little group had mentioned that Potter and his closest pals were planning some kind of mass defiance of the new rules, and there was a chance they would be sneaking down to get potions ingredients and other supplies from the kitchens this evening. So far, they had had no luck, not having spotted anyone, even with the new device Draco's father had sent him that allowed him to detect the presence of Invisibility cloaks and disillusionment charms.

Eventually, they got bored of wondering around, and Draco realized that his informant was mistaken in either the date of Potter's little escapade or in the type of escapade he was planning.

So frustrated, tired, and thoroughly annoyed, Draco lead his loyal troop back to the Slytherin commons, were they parted company. Draco to seek out some rest, and the hulking behemoths to find a late night snack.

POV BREAK

Harry watched anxiously as the door opened and three more figures darted in under cover of their heavy cloaks. He sighed in relief as the cloaks were removed and hung on the rack with the many others already there. He nodded to the three figure, though he wasn't sure exactly who they were. He knew two of them from the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, but the third's name slipped his mind.

Nervously running his hand through his messy hair, he studied the gathered students who had taken seats before him. There was about 40 students gathered, with these three being the last expected. Most were from Gryffindor, but the rest were split evenly between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He easily spotted Cho as she sat next to a friend and her newest boyfriend and wondered when she'd hooked up with one of Ginny's cast offs.

Behind him were several more seats, in which were sitting his coconspirators in this little meeting. He glanced back at them all, noting Hermione's encouraging smile, Ron's nervous grin, and the twins shooing motions to get on with it. But it was Luna's eyes that captured most of his attention, as they were filled with something that he had little experience with: respect. Luna was brimming with respect for him and his ideas, as well as confidence in his abilities. He held her gaze as the respect in her eyes was replaced by something he didn't recognize but that stirred a strong sense of need inside of him. She grinned at him, and for a moment, he saw her eyes change shape and color.

Not wanting her to see that he'd noticed anything unusual-well, more unusual then was normal for the dreamy girl- he turned back to the crowd and stood. There was a podium set up at the edge of the small dais the 10 of them were seated at. He reached it and tapped it with his wand, silently casting 'Sonorous' on himself so that those in the back rows could hear him.

"Er, hello all. Glad to see you all made it." he stated, his voice cracking slightly. He swallowed nervously and cleared his throat before continuing. "I want to thank you all for coming, as I am sure most of you are aware by now that gatherings such as this have been outlawed by the newly appointed High Inquisitor, Delores Umbridge." There was a scattered muttering of disparaging remarks at the woman's name. Harry let them work it out of their system before going any further.

"It seems that the Ministry has seen fit to exert it's authority on Hogwarts, something that they have never previously done as Hogwarts was created to exist specifically outside of Ministry control and interference. However, the current minister of magic, Cornelius Fudge, has seen fit to throw all tradition and propriety out the window in his misguided attempt to retain his position as minister and his control over the affairs of the British wizarding community.

Minister Fudge has seen fit to deny the existence of the current threats facing our world. He has gone so far as to take control of the Daily Prophet and have it print sensational stories depicting myself and Albus Dumbledore in as negative a light as possible. He has publicly stated that he considers Dumbledore to be past it, and a danger to the students at the school. He has further said that he feels I am nothing more then an attention seeking orphan who misses the love of my parents and will do or say anything in order to get even the slightest attention from those around me. Now those of you that know me, know that I hate all the attention I'm given. I hate being crowded in the halls by curious students who want to know how I survived when my parents were killed. How much I loath all the attention I get by the media, like the idiots reporting for the Prophet and various magazines, all claiming some type of direct tie to those closest to me.

Well, I want you all to know that it's a crock of bull. I want nothing more then to be left alone to complete my studies, and maybe, just maybe, if I live long enough, I want a good job and a loving family of my own. Just like any of you. But unfortunately for me, there's a very strong possibility that I might not even live out the year, let alone live long enough to have a career or a family.

And now, thanks to the interference of the Ministry, and the personal vendetta against me held by that fat toad, I've been banned for life from Quidditch. The one thing in my life that was untainted by the very mention of my parents death, their killer, and my possible death. Quidditch was the one thing that kept me going, the one thing that kept me from lashing out at all those who had belittled or berated me in public without concern for the truth.

So today, I am going to give you all a taste of the truth. Starting with this. Voldemort is alive. I was there when he returned to life, and I'm sure you've all heard the stories about the last few years. Most of that, with Quirrel, and the Basilisk, and with the fake Moody last year, were all the work of Voldemort and his followers. That night, when he killed my parents and I somehow lived, he didn't die. His soul, his essence was forced from his body, but it survived. Eventually, he took possession of Quirrel and convinced Dumbledore to take Quirrel on as the DADA teacher during my first year. That was also the year that Dumbledore had Hagrid return the Philosopher's Stone to the castle, where it was hidden in such a way that only someone who wanted it, but didn't want to USE it could find it. Lucky me, I was the person that fit that bill.

So Quirrel tried to get me to give it to him, and then he tried to take it. However, we learned that his body was so corrupted by Voldemort's presence, that it couldn't survive my touch. I was able to latch onto him and hold on until his body turned to ash. The Stone was then destroyed, and I never saw it or any of the pieces again.

The next year, Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father, and one of the highest ranking Death Eaters was able to slip a diary of a sixteen year old Voldemort into the belonging of Ginny Weasley. The diary was a Dark Work and was able to allow the ghostly remembrance of the young Voldemort to possess Ginny into performing various tasks, including awakening and releasing the Basilisk, which set out to attack muggle borne and those of mixed blood.

The clues piled up, and after Hermione was petrified by the Basilisk's poisonous gaze, we found clues that lead us to the Chamber of Secrets. We went in, unknowingly followed by the foppish DADA instructor, the famous, but pathetically inept Gilderoy Lockhart. Gilderoy confronted us in the caves and we learned the truth about him. There was a struggle and Ron's wand was taken from him. Lockhart tried to cast a memory charm on us, but luckily for us, Ron's wand previously suffered an accident and the spell backfired on the pouf. He's now in St. Mungo's Longterm care facility, unable to recall anything beyond his name.

The scuffle had cause a bit of a cave in, and Ron was trapped, so I was forced to go on alone. I eventually entered the cavern of Salazar Slytherin, where I found Ginny, collapsed at the foot of a pool with a large statue of Slytherin. By this time, the diary had gained enough strength to bring out it's owner's ghostly image, and I was introduced to Voldemort for the first time. Or, as he was known then, Tom Marvolo Riddle. He share his history with me. The most vile, hated and feared Dark Lord, who constantly harps on about the purity of the wizarding world is nothing but a half-blood. His father was a magic hating muggle who abused him, and his mother was a squib. The smug bastard made a show of changing his given name, which he hated, into the name he'd chosen for himself. With a word from him, the statue's mouth opened and the basilisk came charging out. I was able to fend it off, having to climb the statue in order to escape it's gaze. Soon, I called for help, and Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes, arrived, dropping the sorting hat to the floor of the cave. I dove over the immense snake into the pool and swam ashore, reaching the hat.

Once I got the hat, I was able to pull Godric Gryffindor's sword from within, and though I suffered a bite from the snake, I was able to use the sword to kill it. Fawkes had remained, and it was a good thing too, as the basilisk venom was making quick work of finishing the job of killing me. He shed some tears over my wounds and Ginny and I made our way out of the cavern. And before any one asks, no one who knows is going to tell you were the Chamber of Secrets is, so don't bother trying.

If you want to know about third year, ask my godfather, Sirius Black. Another victim of Fudge's screwed up policy, Sirius was sent to Azkaban for 13years because it was believed he'd betrayed my parents and killed 12 muggles and a wizard. But Sirius is innocent, as we learned that year. The true betrayal, and the deaths, were the actions of a pathetic wizard named Peter Pettigrew. Once a close friend of my parents, he betrayed them to Voldemort. Sirius had convinced my parents to name him publicly as their Secret Keeper, but to secretly have Pettigrew as their Secret Keeper. He hoped that this would lead to Voldemort's forces focussing on capturing him, allowing my parents time to form a plan to either destroy him or flee the country. However, no one knew that Pettigrew had already sold himself to Voldemort.

Voldemort came to our house and killed my parents. Somehow, though I survived his killing curse, and his body was destroyed. News hit the world hard, and Sirius, thinking I was dead along with my parents, went seeking Pettigrew, knowing that only he could had lead Voldemort to my parents. He cornered Pettigrew, who had to use a powerful curse, killing twelve muggles outright. Pettigrew even went so far as cutting off his own finger before transforming into his animagus form of a rat to escape Sirius and the Aurors. You all know what happened to Sirius from there. He was tossed in jail without a trial, and Pettigrew remained in rat form for the next twelve years, until Sirius escaped and he and Professor Lupin, another friend of my parents, were able to force him back into human form.

They were ready to kill Pettigrew for what he'd done, but I wasn't. I wanted him to suffer for his betrayal and after having first hand experience with Dementors, could think of no better way to punish the lying rat for what he'd done. I convinced them to take him in, but Snape interrupted us. And between Snape, and the full moon, Pettigrew escaped.

Then came last year. People dressed as death eaters cast the Dark Mark over the camps grounds of the Quidditch World Cup, and harassed muggleborne's who were attending. We got a new DADA teacher, as Dumbledore was forced to sack Lupin due to the irrational prejudice against werewolves. At first, we all appreciated the new teacher, retired Auror MadEye Moody. He was a great teacher, and we all learned a lot. But once again, our teacher wasn't who he claimed to be. It was really another Death Eater, Barty Couch Jr. under the effects of a polyjuice potion. It was he who put my name into the Goblet for the Triwizard cup. He also took pains to help me so that I would complete the tasks. For the Death Eaters had found a way to bring Voldemort back to full life, but required my blood to do so. And when Cedric Diggory and I both reached the center of the maze and saw the Cup, we made an agreement to take it together.

Only, the real cup had been replaced with a portkey, and the second we laid hands on it, it transported us somewhere. We were disoriented for a few seconds, and in that time, we heard a voice hiss out. A voice I recognized, but before I could do anything, the voice's words were followed. Words that haunt my dreams every night.

'Kill the spare.'" Harry paused and cleared his throat and wiped his eyes as the memory of those horrid events ran through his mind.

"I couldn't do anything. One minute, Cedric and I are feeling pride in winning the cup for Hogwarts, and the next, those words followed by a green blast of light of the killing curse." He started pacing on the dais, angry and saddened by the memory. "There was no chance to do anything! We popped in, took a look around, and then Pettigrew has killed Cedric. I could see it in his eyes. Cedric knew. He knew before I did. The curse was meant for him, but for a moment I thought it was cast at me. I pray every night that this time, this time when I see it, I'll do something. Push Cedric away, cast a shield, jump in front of him and take the damn curse myself! Anything but what happened. Cedric was a good man. He was loyal and friendly, and fair. Without his help I would never have solved some of the tasks. And then, as those words were whispered and our eyes locked, I could see that he knew the curse was coming. He knew he was going to die, and he did so silently. No cries of useless anger or sorrow. He didn't beg or plead. He just locked his eyes with mine and said goodbye the only way he could. He didn't even cry out when it struck. Just continued standing for a few seconds before collapsing to the ground.

It was the bravest thing I have ever seen, and I will forever remember the courage on his face when he realized what was happening. He should have been sorted into Gryffindor."

He looked at Cho and met her eyes. This was not the first time she had heard of his view about Cedric's death, but it was the first time he'd shared the more painful moments of the event.

"Cedric deserved better then to be killed. He deserved to win the cup and bring glory to his House and his family. He deserved to live his life without encountering the darkness that lurks in the world. It was a pointless, senseless death devoid of all emotion or motivation. He died, simply because I insisted on us sharing in the win and bringing the Cup home together. Because of my actions, he was brought to a situation he was not prepared for, and he paid the ultimate price for my ...arrogant belief in fairness. He was killed simply for being with me when the portkey that was supposed to bring me took him along. There was no reason behind his death. No desire or hate on the part of his killer. He was simply a 'spare'. They counted him as worth less then the lowest bug simply because he was with me." Harry studied the crowd, sensing the undercurrent of emotion coursing through them. "I take blame for my part in his being their, but I have come to accept that his death was not my fault. Voldemort and Pettigrew are the ones responsible for their own actions, and it was Pettigrew who cast the spell under orders from Voldemort."

He took a breath and removed his glasses. Tears were silently streaming down his face and he had to wipe his eyes on his sleeve. "I won't bore you with the details of the rest of that horrid night, but suffice it to say, Voldemort returned and I was able to escape only because of something he'd overlooked. Now, the Ministry is denying that Voldemort has returned. They are denying everything that has happened over the last few years. Fudge has been corrupted by his association with Malfoy. Malfoy might have pulled the old 'I was under the Imperious spell' after Voldemort's first disappearance, but I saw him with my own owns, standing with the other Death Eaters. Torturing me, and welcoming his lord back to life. Fudge needs Malfoy's money and name in order to stay in office, and won't go against anything Malfoy tells him to do."

"Now, Umbridge had managed to convince Fudge that there is no threat of retaliation and that the students here are out of control. So that Fudge has overridden his previous reversal of her insane rules and added even more power to the fat toad. It won't be long before she comes up with a way to remove Dumbledore from office. And once she does, she'll put herself in. After that, she'll ban the use of all magic at the school. And I won't stand for it. I can take being banned from Quidditch. I can take the detentions, and the lost House points. I can stand up to the jeers and insults thrown at me by Malfoy and those who have succumbed to Fudge's idiocy. But I will not allow them to throw away all hope of my survival by denying me the chance to learn spells I will need if I wish to make it to next year and any year beyond! I will not allow them to cheat you all out of learning spells that might one day save your lives.

Because make no mistake. Once Voldemort is more comfortable in his new body, he will begin to attack again. The war is coming. There is no stopping it, except in Voldemort's death, and the capture of all his followers. We need to learn as much as we can, because like it or not, we are among the few lines of defense left in the wizarding world. Fudge has seriously handicapped the Aurors, cutting their numbers to a third what they were during Voldemort's last rise. He is now hindering Dumbledore's efforts to spread the truth to the world. He is seeking to remove all sources of power from Dumbledore, so that he can accuse Dumbledore of simply being an old coot who has lost his marbles without worrying about possible retaliation from any of the Councils and such the Dumbledore is currently a member of. While Fudge concentrates on that, Voldemort is seeking allies. He's searching out any dark creature that might join his side. And Umbridge is here at the school further weakening the future of the world by hindering our education, making it impossible for even the strongest student to stand up to the weakest enemy because we . . . can't. . . do. . . any .. . real...MAGIC! If you don't know how to properly cast a spell, it doesn't matter how much power you have.

So I've decided, with the help of my friends, that in defiance of Umbridge's idiotic orders, HarHarTu is going to continue. In fact, we are going to increase it's goals. Instead of just an extra study group, we are going to actively seek to learn as many new offensive and defensive spells. And we are not going to limit ourselves to spells that only stun. We are going to learn potentially fatal spells, as well as how to counter spells like the Imperious, Cruciatus, and the effect of Dementors. Everyone who remains is going to have to learn how to cast a corporeal Patronus. We have this room here to meet and practice, and Hermione is setting a schedule. Any of you who don't feel comfortable doing what we need to do, is free to leave. However, everyone must sign the form next to the door. It will keep you from mentioning anything you learned here or will learn to anyone not already signed up." Harry stopped speaking and took his seat, allowing Hermione to take his place.

"We can only train so many people at a time, which is why there are only 40 of you here now. I know that most of Gryffindor tower is going to sign up, and if there's anyone you think might be willing to join, please bring their names to any of the people you see up here. Also of good use, is the continued instruction in the martial arts. I don't know where Hufflepuff an Ravenclaw stands, but our advanced group is soon to be learning the basics of ki manipulation, and we have all begun studying the use of some weaponry. There has been some indication that V-V-Voldemort has also begun to recruit various martial artists from around the world to join his cause as a counter to Ranma and his friends. Everyone should make a concerted effort to train as hard as they can in those classes, as it might be the only way we will have an edge in any battles against death eaters. There is a Hogmead weekend next week, but we all would appreciate it if you spent only a minimum amount of time there, and spent the rest either here in the Room or with extra training with your sensei. This is no longer about some end of year tournament, or the Housecup rivalries. We all need to learn as much as we can if we want to survive the coming war.

Like Harry said, he won't stop until Voldemort and the Death Eaters are no longer a threat and neither must we. Because the minute we stop, the minute we give in to doubt or fear, we are doomed. For Cedric, and all the others who have died because of Voldemort's perverse obsession with power and purity, we must make a stand. We must work as one and put aside those superficial differences that have divided us in the past. Because if we are not united, we will be picked off, one by one until no one is left to stand against the darkness." Hermione took a breath as the others joined her at the edge of the dais. Everyone in the crowd was standing now, staring up at them in rapt attention.

"We can't sit by and wait for him to come here and kill us all. He's already shown that he can get his people in here at any time, and who knows how many could be hiding somewhere in the castle even right now. We have to learn how to find them, how to fight them, and if necessary, how to capture and kill them." Neville added. "You have to know that there is a good chance some of us might be hurt, or killed. The Death Eaters have had decades to study the Dark Arts, and we don't have the time to get the same level of experience as they do. So, we have to cheat. We have to fight with everything we have. Magic, Martial Arts, tricks, anything and everything we can possibly do to stop them, we have to try. Our greatest asset is also our greatest weakness.

We are young, inexperienced and untested. This also means that we are fresh, uncorrupted, and untainted by what most experienced fighters are used to when it comes to a fight. They are used to fighting older, and more experienced wizards who are able to use spells we've never even heard about. So, we have to find new ways to use what we do know. I'm not sure about the younger years, but Professor Flitwick has been having use learn new uses for some of the spells from first year. How to use Accio, Wingardium Leviosa, and others in actual combat. He's been slipping those lessons to us right under the nose of that fat toad, Umbridge, who's praised him on sticking to the basics."

Everyone chuckled as they were all aware on Umbridge's views of what was appropriate lessons for the students. There was some resentment on the part of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff since the old bitty had pretty much avoided most Gryffindor classes, though no one outside of Gryffindor was aware of the reasons.

"And that's what we're going to focus on with HarHarTu. Learning some new spells, but also how to adapt the spells we do know to be used in a real fight. The most common spells I've used, even when I fought Voldemort last year, are Expeliarmus, Accio, and Jellylegs curse. I haven't survived because I know so much more than anyone else, or because I'm so much stronger then others, but because I was lucky, and my inexperience limited the spells I could use. This was a good thing because they weren't prepared to fight off the simple spells. All the shields they used where for more powerful spells. I want to work on those shields after you've all mastered the Patronus. Then we'll move on to various unusual uses for the spells we all know. After that, we'll hold an open forum for all of you to have a chance to share any spells you've learned outside of class with the rest of us, and then we'll start to work on new spells and tactics, as well as incorporating the martial arts we are learning into our dueling."

Harry took a look around the room, and noted the time on the large clock above the double door. "I think that's enough for now. As we said, you won't be able to leave without signing the parchment on the door, and Hermione will get you some type of schedule for the lessons in the next few days. For now, I'll hope you all think about coming back and that none of you feel threatened by us. We all simply want to make sure that we all live to grow up and have our own families in the future. Thank you for coming." Harry nodded to everyone, and made his way to the door, followed by the rest of the people on the dais. They all made a show of signing their full names on the parchment before walking out the door.

Eventually all the students followed their example and after exiting the door, they split into their various smaller groups and made their way up to their House Towers. Very few of them were planning on not coming back to further sessions. Most were eager to learn as much as they can, as they had never believed the denials of the issues by Fudge and his cronies. They also took a few moments to peer fearfully into nooks and crannies on their way back, knowing the truth in Harry's words about the possibility of Death Eaters hiding in the school.


	20. Section 20

STANDARD DISCLAIMER APPLIES. I OWN NOTHING EXCEPT THE IDEA FOR THE STORY.

Thank you all for reviews and comments on my story. It feels great to know that so many of you are enjoying my little mind trip into these worlds.

Some language and mature sits inside. Go on, everyong read up!

STORY STARTS

Harry shot up, his hand going immediately to his scar, which was burning more intensely then it had in months. He was struggling to regain control of his breathing, and was sweating from a mix of fear and pain. He was glad he'd remembered to place a silencing charm on his bed so that his screams of terror hand't woken any of his dorm mates. Groping around on the nightdesk next to the bed for his glasses, he swore to himself and started recalling the dream. It had started occuring near the end of summer, not long after he'd escaped the Dursley's to join the Weasley's at the World Cup.

FLASH

Harry was annoyed. He had experienced more pain in his life then most lived through by the time they were thrice his age. And now, he had spent the last few minutes listening to Professor Dumbledore as the old wizard explained in more detail about why Voldemort was so focused on him.

The professor had explained that not long before his birth, Professor Trelawny had given her first ever True Prophecy. He hand't stated the entire prophecy, only saying that it involved both Harry and Voldemort, and that Voldemort was seeking any means to learn the prophecy. He also explained that he hand't wanted to tell Harry anything about the prophecy, but felt that even though Harry was dealing with more burdens then any 15 year old should rightfully need to handle, he deserved to know more behind the reasons for Voldemort, and his own, actions.

From the little Dumbledore had told explained a lot. Appareantly the prophecy was in regards to some kind of threat to Voldemort's power and Harry's role in awakening that threat. But he had refused to tell the whole prophecy, saying that the connection between Harry and Voldemort was too strong. He would need to have Harry learn to block the connection through Occlumency, and for that he would need to study extra sessions with Professor Snape. It was not something Harry wasn't looking forward to, seeing how he and Snape had disliked each other from the first moment they entered each other's world.

So know, Harry knew that Voldemort was seeking to learn the prophecy by nearly any means, and he understood why the headmaster hand't told him it's exact contents. Voldemort's attacks on his minds were growing stronger as the evil wizard regained his strength after his rebirth. Harry wasn't able to keep him out yet, and until then, it wasn't safe for him to know everything he really needed. So, he resigned himself to the continued attacks, as well as the enforced closeness to the most hated teacher at Hogwarts.

END FLASH

In the dream, Harry relived the news, but Voldemort was there, hovering around a corner, waiting for Dumbledore to speak the words of the prophecy, but right before the old man spoke them, he would detect Voldemort, and then start accusing Harry of allying himself with the Dark Lord. Harry tried to deny it, but the old man didn't believe it and attacked him. Voldemort turned the corner and also attacked, and soon it was a three way battle, though most of the spells were cast Harry's way.

The battle paused and instead of trying to kill him, they started fighting for him, each trying to take him away from the other. He was caught in a tug of war, with him as the rope while each pulled painfully on his arms, all the while whispering various incentives to try and pursuade him to join their cause.

For the first time, Harry had started wondering what exactly he meant to Dumbledore. Was he only a weapon or a tool for the headmaster to use against Voldemort? Nothing but a means to draw out the evil wizard and give the dark lord something to focus on aside from the slaughter and torture of muggles and muggleborns? Or was he the son of a dear friend, someone to protect and watch over until he was able to protect himself? Either way, Harry wasn't too thrilled with the headmaster, and was even less pleased when he'd realized that the older man was avoiding him this year. He had realized that the old man was doing so because he didn't want to risk letting anything slip that Voldemort could use in future attacks.

Harry ran a hand through his damp hair and came to the not surprising realization that he would get no further sleep this night. Glancing at the clock positioned above the door of the dorm room, he noted that it was nearly 5am, well before the time most students normally woke.

Deciding he'd had enough of the stuffy room, he changed into his clothes, and grabbing his wand, decided to visit the Room and get some practice in. Maybe he'd work on the kata's that Akane was trying to teach. He wasn't having much luck in the martial arts class, and his only consolation was that Ron wasn't doing that well either. It surprised him that the Creevy brothers were doing so well, but not nearly as much as the fact that George was also doing quite well, while Fred seemed to be struggling with it. It was the first time since he'd known them that there was a real indication that they were really separate people and not just clones of each other. He'd mentioned this to Ron, and though his friend had needed to have what a clone was explained to him, he soon agreed that it was odd to find that there was something one of the twins was good at while the other was having troubled. Usually, they matched each other in all coursework and even in other skills. Neither had ever shown themselves to have a different ability or interest from the other, and the two of them started wondering if there was something Fred was good at that George wasn't.

He reached his destination without seeing anyone, and passed the hidden door three times, before entering. He was so lost in thought about the conflicting emotions he was feeling about the headmaster, that he didn't notice that the room hand't chagned to his needs. Nor did he notice the other person in room until some instinct and a blur of motion drew his attention to the corner, and he saw a large, high backed chair blocking his view. For a moment, he could have sworn he'd spotted a flash of pink fluttering around the side of the chair, but he wasn't sure.

Not knowing who was in the chair, he drew his wand and took a cautious step forward. He let his senses expand as Ranma and Akane had taught, and frowned at the familiar sensation coming from the person in the chair. There was a dual aura, as though the person was masking their natural aura with that of another person. There was no sense of threat coming from either, but he hdan't felt anything like this before. And even as he approached, he felt the first aura, one filled with bubbling happiness and excitement, being slowly covered until he couldn't sense it any more. In it's place was the second, an airy, eager, and curious aura, one he could recognize, yet not quite place.

"Who's there?" he asked, his wand still held before him, and his mind absently preparing a plan of attack.

A head appeared above the back of the chair, and the figure turned, revealing a face and expression Harry was starting to know well. "Hello Harry." the blond girl stated calmly, not even glancing at his wand. "What are you doing up at this time of the day?"

"Luna? What are you doing in here?" he asked, wondering what was going on. He moved around the chair to get a better look, still holding his wand, but no longer pointing at her. "I had a dream and couldn't get back to bed." he explained, wondering even as the words left his mouth, why he was answering her. "What's going on Luna? I could have sworn I felt someone else here." he didn't tell her about feeling the dual aura's coming from her just yet, he wanted to hear what she would say first.

She didn't really say anything, though there was a flash of alarm across her face before she schooled her expression back into the dreamy look she normally wore. "I'm alone here right now, Harry. I was just studying a little." She gestured to the table across from the table and the books scattered there. "I wanted to get a headstart on charms and jinxes for the HarHarTu group sessions." A smile flickered across her face, and her expression cleared to a more serious one for a moment. "I want to thank you, Harry for being brave enough to take this chance to help everyone stay alive. I knwo that you are the one most at risk right now because of Umbridge. She and Fudge have it out for you and for Proffessor Dumbledore. She wants to be the Headmaster, and has ever since my father came to Hogwarts. She taught here before, as the charms teacher when Professor Flitwick was the DADA teacher."

Harry was surprised. "I didn't know that Flitwick taught DADA. I wonder why he stopped."

Luna smiled again, showing a much different side of herself then the one she normally displayed to the world. "From what I understand, Umbridge left to try out politics, and Flitwick was injured and needed a rest from DADA, so he transferred to charms, and found out he enjoyed teaching it much more then DADA. Did you know, he was Dueling Champion for 5 years running and 9 out of 11 years when he was in active competition? He's the head majistrate for the International Dueling Competition. He invented some of the most common dueling techniques in use today, and has authored more books on dueling and charmwork in battle then anyone else in history."

Harry was impressed. The old man had always impressed him with his control and technique, inspite of his size. He was easily one of the best loved teachers and was also one of the best teachers, two things which weren't neccessarily intertwinned. You could be a well loved and respected teacher(Gidleroy Lockhart was a prime example of this) but be horrible at teaching your subject. Or you could be a hated and despited tyrrant, but manage to pass on your craft to those in need. Snape would fit into the second category, except his teaching style was nonexistent and he never bothered to explain what he wanted his students to do, simply told them to do it and do it right or else.

Others might be great teachers, but were not well liked. Minerva McGonnagall was one of those. While everyone held a great deal of respect for her, she wasn't the most approachable of people. Her stern and proper exterior often made her seem mean and cranky, though she was a perfectly lovely woman. She was also an excellent teacher. She knew her subject extremely well and was able to pass on her knowledge to even the most intransigent of students. It might take longer for some to gather the knowledge she passed to them, but all of her students could agree that she was very good at passing on that knowledge. She was fair and just with punishments, and while some of her rules might be seen as strict by the more relaxed students, all could agree that there was a solid reasoning behind her choice for those rules.

Unlike most other professors, she did not noticeably favor her House students over those of the other houses, docking points and handing out detentions or extra work when situations called for it. The only exception she made, was with first getting Harry onto the Quidditch team in the first place, since it was most unusual for 1st years to be allowed to play. Other than that one time, she'd been a fair and impartial teacher, and as deputy headmistress, was the acknowledged disciplinarian in charge of all detentions and point docking.

"So, was there anything that you were having a lot of trouble with, or was it more of a refresher session before the first big meeting?" Harry asked, gesturing to the books. "Or maybe, " he said, allowing a twinkle to grow in his eyes, "you're studying new spells to impress someone? I came up to practice those last few spells you've shown me, as well as work a bit more on the martial arts work Ranma and Akane have us doing." A thought came to him as he spoke. "Hey, I just thought of something. You're being trained by Kasumi and Ono Tofu. I haven't really spoken lots to either of them, but Ranma thinks they have a lot to share, but that he personalyl doesn't use their arts unless he has to. I also understand that they have different styles then what we, or the other houses are learning. What are they teaching Hufflepuff?"

Luna's smile widdened and she leaned forward. Harry was now sitting on the table next to the books. "Mostly, we're learning these two called akido and Tai Chi. Akido is a slightly more aggressive style, but still a mainly defensive art. Tai Chi is very passive, but also very powerful. They mix well together. With Akido, we're focus mainly on various throwing techniques and pain holds to get the attacker to submit. With Tai Chi, it's mostly about non-aggressive defense. No real punches or kicks, but a lot of blocks and trips. The main point seems to be to turn the aggressive attackers own force against him while allowing it to simply wash over and through you without affecting you. It's a lot of fun. Especially watching Tofu-sensei and Kasumi-sensei 'push hands'. It's amazing to see them flow around the yard, neither really looking to defeat the other, yet pushing themselves to greater heights. Even with Kasumi-sensei's pregnancy, there's no one in the house who can land a blow or strike on her. Tofu-sensei has the most advanced students learning more about accupuncture and is tying it into the coursework for the Accupuncture and Healing courses the two are teaching. That's why we always seem to have more to do in that class then you or Ravenclaw. Though Slytherin seems to be learning a lot of that subject, though a much different direction of the material then what we are learning."

Harry nodded, remembering sharing the healing class with Hufflepuff and the Accupuncture class with Slytherin. Students from both those houses were doing much better then Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. He allowed a smug grin at the thought that at least Gryffindor was learning more about DADA then Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw. But then he frowned as he remembered that the only reason for that was because of the idiotic interference by Fudge and his lackey Umbridge. If the bastard had a problem with him, he'd gladly settle it in a duel, feeling confident that he was a better duelist then the Minister. From everything he'd heard, Fudge was a mediocre wizard at best and far from among the more powerful wizards.

He'd become the Minister because he was an excellent politician, not because of magical ability. Hell, he'd spoken to MadEye Moody and Remus about hte man a little, and both had been quite clear that the man had about the same magical talent as a third year and had barely even passed during his time at school. He was so mediocre, he had not even attended Hogwarts, but one of several of the less prestigious magical schools in England, where he had been lucky to finish all 7 years.

"That's a lot different then what we're doing. We're learning a lot of attacks and more dodging then blocking. We have learned throws, but only so that we can have time to prepare kicks or punches. There's a lot of moving around, jumping, rolling, and stuff that we need to be able to do. We do a lot of aerobics to warm up and stretch out at the start of lessons. It's a very acrobatic style. Though Ranma's more about that and Akane more about straight on overpowering her opponents. Akane's shown that she can do the more . . .circular style, but prefers a linear attack." Harry frowned, wondering how to better describe what he was trying to say. "Does that make sense? Ranma likes to hit from all over and jumping and running in circles around the person he's fighting, while Akane prefers to let her opponents attack her and get close enough for her to hit them as fast and as hard as she can."

"That's a lot different than what we're doing." Luna admitted. "Akane seems a little . . .forceful. What's it like, being around them when they change? Is it weird, do you feel any different talking to one part or find yourself listening more to one gender over the others?"

Harry thought for a moment. He'd never really thought about it. It was just something that Ranma and Akane could do. It had been a little awkward the first time he'd had to go to the facilities and found Akane in male form using them. But aside from that, he himself hand't been too affected. He knew that a few people had been put off for the first few days, but really, it was no stranger then someone being an Animagus or using a polyjuice potion or Metamorphmagi. Though that last was the most rare.

"I haven't really thought of it myself. Sure, the first few times you go to the loo and find a male Akane there, it's odd. Same goes when watching them snog when Ranma's a girl and Akane's a guy. Heck, they snog when they're both girls too, though that seems to be the most popular with any audience that's around. I haven't heard of them snogging when they're both guys, and I think that would be the weirdess thing for me. But aside from that, it's not really a factor. Ranma makes it very clear early on that he expects to be treated the same no matter what his gender, as does Akane, and both are able to enforce their conditions." He allowed the twinkle to resurface in his eyes and leaned forward, beckonging for Luna to lean forward as well. Once they were only inches apart, he whispered. "I have to admit, watching them snog in the halls when they're both girls is sort of exciting, even if I don't really understand why I think that."

Luna blushed and squealed, leaning away from Harry and swatting his arm. "Harry, that's terrible!" She stated, even as brief thoughts of the pair in both genders entered her mind and caused a thrill of excitement through her body. The image of male Akane kissing male Ranma was replaced with an interesting image of dual Harry's and herself sharing a passionate kiss. She blushed deeper, and leaned as far from Harry as she could, not trusting herself at the moment to keep from making at least part of the image come true. "Yet, at the same time it's true. Every male of the species I know, except those that prefer each other, are also intrigued for some reason by the image of two attractive girls snogging. But let me tell you a secret, Harry." She leaned forward as well, gesturing for Harry to join her again. When he did, she whispered into his ear, her mouth dry because of how close she was to him and how strong his scent was in her nose. "Girls think about watching cute guys snog as much as guys think about girls snogging each other. And most girls I know have at some time or another, wondered what it would feel like to snog another girl. If it would be the same as snogging a guy or not. Guys are usually too fearful to think about the same things about each other though." She allowed her lips to brush his cheek as she drew back, enjoying the heat of his skin and strong male scent to linger in her mind for a few moments as she giggled at his startled and frozen expression.

She stood and gathered her bookbag, which was next to the chair. "I'll talk to you later, Harry. I'm going to go and bath before any one else wakes up. I wouldn't want them to tease me about changing to Ravenclaw."

Harry's mind was still stuck in the gutter, imaging Luna and various other girls snogging each other senseless in the halls. His mind was drawn to the present at the sound of the word 'bath', only to fill again with images of Luna partaking in that activity. He absently bid her fairwell, watching her hips move idly as she walked out before blinking and coming to himself. "I have to stop hanging out so much with Dean and Seamus. They're rotting my brain with all their talk." he muttered to himself, moving to the still warm chair and taking one of the open texts from the table.

It wasn't until he'd been reading for several moments before he came to a startling revelation.

"She KISSED me!" he cried out into the empty room, forgeting all about the text and everything else except the fact that Luna had indeed given him a kiss on the cheek.

POV BREAK

Ranma was taking a morning run. Akane was still in bed sleeping. The day was overcast and the air was damp, but Ranma felt right at home. The weather here wasn't that different from back home, though it wasn't quite as warm as it would be at home. He and Akane had been up most of the night, planning a little party for Kasumi. Talking to other students, especially those with older, newly wed siblings, had revelaed a traditional party held for an expecting woman and they were trying to work out a mix of this Western tradition with their own Eastern traditions.

Ranma had been wondering what was going to happen. There was something looming on the horizon, something big, and he was beginning to worry. He'd realized during Harry's speech ot his little group that the other boy was right. There was every chance that Voldemort was indeed seeking out those martial artists of dark origins to aid his side in the coming war. He knew of several, had fought a few, who would gladly jump at the chance to strike with their full powers openly, and without fear of political reprisals.

Most of the martial artists in Ranma's admittedly small circle would be too strong and powerful to worry about such petty things as law and justice, but they did have to worry about the sheer number and weaponry of non-artists. Just as the wizarding population hid their existence because of fear, so too did most of the trully powerful martial artists. There were exceptions, of course, but even the most famous had withheld his true strength and potential. There were many in both communities who would prefer to strike out at what they considered weaker and less advanced people with their special talents, but no one, not martial artists and not dark wizard lords, was immune to the firepower currently present in the world.

Oh, Ranma might be able to move fast enough to dodge or catch a few bullets, but facing several people each armed with automatics capable of firing hundreds of rounds a minute, he'd be swiss cheese. And even if he could survive wounds that would kill a normal person (such as a bullet to the head or heart) and heal fast enough that the damage would be gone in minutes, if not seconds, it didn't make him immortal. Enough bullets hitting him in enough vital spots, and he'd be dead just as quickly and easily as any one else. And while his dragon form would survive normal rounds, he'd hate to be faced with a missile strike or something along those lines.

He pondered possible ways to help the students in their current struggle against the oppressive rules being passed by the Ministry and Enforced by the fat slug and her toadies. He was so caught up in thought, he missed the feel of the people he nearly ran over as he rounded a corner, knocking two of them down and sending another two staggering. Ranma himself simply bounced off the four and landed on his feet, crouched in a stance from the Nekoken as those feline instincts took over at the suddeness of events.

"Oh, sorry there. I was thinking. Need any help?" he asked, relaxing enough to step into his looser stance.

The figures on the ground struggled to their feet before turning to face the intruder with drawm wands. The two who had remained standing also drew their wands, though they were slower and much more clumsy, nearly dropping the matching wands.

Ranma just looked at them all with a cheerful expression on his face, though inside, he was frowning. These were possibly among the last four people he'd want to meet up with at this time of the morning. "Oh, it's you. Hello, Mouldy. Sorry for knocking you down. You and your Three Amigos shouldn't be standing around near corners like that."

Malfoy glared at Ranma, hatred burning strongly in the blonde youth. Behind him, he felt Crabbe and Goyle also tense, though Nott next to him remained loose and relaxed. Well, as loose and relaxed as the paranoid poser ever was. Honestly, why he had to associate with fools like these three when there were equally pureblooded, and much easier on the eyes and brain, Slytherins he could accompany.

Honestly, just because their parents were among the most loyal of the Dark Lords followers, he was stuck dealing daily with their idiot sons and obnoxious daughters. He'd much rather spend time with Avery or McNair's sons, and a lot more time with the elusive Blaise Zabini then these three. Still, he had to admit, if he wanted mindless lackeys of his own, these three were perfect for that task. Not to mention, fairly powerful wizards in their own rights, though few would believe it of the hulking Crabbe and Goyle. Hell, it had taken him nearly three years to see through their dumb act as they quietly, and right in everyone's faces, continued to expand their surprisingly diverse knowledge in the dark arts.

The Slytherin prince smirked as he continued to hold his wand at the target. The foolish older boy still hadn't made a move for his own wand, and no matter what he, or the Amazons said, he doubted if the fool could move fast enough to avoid four curses sent his way from four sources. Crabbe and Goyle were now flanking him and Nott, all four pointing their wands and preparing to cast at the other youth.

"What are you doing out of bed, Saotome? It's after curfew and the castle doesn't open for another hour. You're breaking the rules." his trio of compadres chuckled behind him and he let his smirk widden. "I'm afraid I'll have to report this to the High Inquisitor, Saotome. And while I'm at it, I'm going to dock you 10 points for attacking 3 fellow students on the grounds, 10 points for attacking a prefect, and 10 points for attacking a HISs member. That makes . . .50 points total from Gryffindor, plus whatever Madam Umbridge from you for being outside after hours."

Ranma continued to grin, even as he allowed his subconcious mind to process the abilities of the four, their movements and speed, their stances, their closeness, and the environment around them all. He unknowingly discovered nearly a dozen ways to disarm all four before any could complete a spell, but his concious mind was focussed on the blonde. He let out a fake sigh as the youth docked him points. "Oh, poor me. Loosing all those points. Whatever shall I do?" he asked mockingly.

"Don't you dare take that tone with me, Saotome! Or I'll make you wish your parents never met." the blonde warned.

Ranma shook his head, not phased by the threats. While he was surprised by the strength of the aura's now being projected by the two hulking youths, and by the menacing darkness in the other two boys, he was confident that he could survive anything they might be willing to risk casting. After all, they couldn't use the really dangerous spells here at the school, or they'd risk being exposed as the Dark Lord's spies at the school. Though everyone could pretty much assume that they were indeed the spies, there was also the need of a spy in a position of authority, and with Umbridge here, she was starting to look more and more suspect.

"Look, I'm sorry to say this, Malfy, but you can't dock me points. We, the assorted sensei for all the houses, are outside of the housepoint system. Though we can have points added, we can't have points taken away except by Professor McGonnagall or Dumbledore. Not even your precious Dumb-bridge can take points away from us. Now, if you don't mind, I was in the middle of a run and need to leave. Talk to you later." Ranma wazed in Malfoy's purple face and took off, leaping over the large pair, and vanishing from sight within secods. It was nearly long enough, but the four were able to turn and find his heading, even if he himself didn't really have a specific destination, except to eventually return to his warm bed and even warmer wife.


	21. Section 21

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 21 of Magic vs. MA.

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Malfoy was livid as he entered the Slytherin common room. His expression was so dark, that the students gathered in the spacious room quickly vacated it once he and his companions stormed over to the couches near the fireplace. So hasty was the retreat, that most students abandoned their possessions and belongings, prefering to stay away from the obviously irate trio.

Malfoy's teeth were grinding together as he glared into the fire. He was beginning to hate Saotome more then he'd ever hated Potter. At least Potter was a competent and powerful wizard from a strong family, even counting his mother's muggle blood. Saotome was nothing but a muggle commoner with no magical ability at all. He humiliated and belittled Malfoy through the use of parlor tricks, not magic. Draco hated the thought that he was constantly being upstaged by that mudblood looser. He had to find some way to punish Saotome for his impertinence.

Crabbe and Goyle exchanged glances while their compatriot continued to contemplate his rival's comeupance. They were well aware of what their associate was thinking. They'd all discussed possible ways to eliminate both the Saotome man and the Potter boy. But none of them was powerful enough to accomplish the deed in an unobtrusive manner. Not even Umbridge had been able to offer any usefull suggestions, paling at the mere mention of retaliating against Saotome and warning them all to leave him and his freaks alone. Crabbe and Goyle were trying to convince Draco to listen to the old witch, but so far, the egotistical fool was ignoring their attempts.

"There must be a way to deal with the foul mudblood!" Draco demanded of the empty air. "He must have some weakness that I can exploit."

Unknown to the three, a pair of eyes were watching from the shadows. A small purple and white kitten was hidden under a plush chair, listening in as Crabbe and Goyle tossed suggestions that Draco vetoed. The kitten rolled it's eyes at some of the sillier ideas the two larger boys called out, and felt only a glimmer of hope when the blonde boy denied those suggestions. If these were the best of their generation as purported by the Dark Lord and his followers, then the Dark Lord was in for a huge disappointment. None of the Slytherin's she had followed and spied on had even the smallest fraction of true darkness in their souls. Only the three here, and a few of the females might one day be worthy of being called Dark Wizards.

The cat shook her head, a tiny jingling sounding in the room. It was lost among the roaring of the fire and the scheming of the boys. Disgusted with her chosen allies, the kitten turned and stalked silently out of the room towards the chambers it shared with it's grandmother. She was very glad that her grandmother was spending so much time down in the dungeons with the students, trying to help them learn more about the making of various potions, both Amazonian and outsider.

Upon entering the chamber, the kitten made it's way by the hanging tub and pulled on the chain, sending a cascade of warm water over itself and changing the kitten into a busty purple haired chinese girl. The girl, uncaring of her nudity, made her way to her private room, and locked the door. She dressed in a silk outfit similar to her warriors armor, but more aesthetic then protective. She then went over to the closet, and entered. She pulled the door closed behind her, and then pulled down on the hanging bar. A hidden door opened, and the girl walked into her private potions lab.

She puttered for a while, checking on some of the long brew potions, and some of the shorter brew potions. Everything was going along well, and the girl was pleased. Her plans were beginning to take shape, and she'd already had a successful meeting with the Dark Lord's closest associates. She was supposed to be meeting with the Dark Lord himself in a few weeks time to finalize plans to gather the best of the martial artists who would follow the Dark cause. She had a second list to the one she'd given already, one with names of certain Amazons and Pheonix people who were dissatisfied with the way Ranma had subjugated their people.

Satisfied with the progress so far, she decided to spend the rest of the day practising her forms. She didn't want to loose any of the skills she'd worked so hard to gain. She also didn't want to get into any of the bad habits she was training into the Slytherin's. It was incredibly hard to teach people to deliberately make mistakes in an art she loved so much, but it had to be done. She could not teach the foolish westerners the true paths of martial arts, and seethed whenever she noticed Mu Tsu or her grandmother correcting the mistakes and subtle errors in forms she'd worked to ingrain in them. It galled her for it made her grandmother think she was unworthy of being a teacher, which was the second most important task in the village, behind being a warrior. But the good thing was it further convinced her grandmother that she was what she was pretending to be: a weak, misguided, and easily distracted fool.

It couldn't be helped though, she thought to herself sadly while stretching out. If she wanted to bring her people back to their rightful place as the leaders of her homeland, the nsome personal sacrifices had to be made. Dignity and respect were things she could sacrifice now, and be praised for later.

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Harry stiffled a laugh as Ron and Neville's spells backfired on each other. They were working on the earlier charms Flitwick had taught, trying practical applications to the essays they'd been assigned. It was almost like their charms class had been transformed to a second DADA class. Which made them all gratefull, since they now had a legitimate reason to practice the earlier spells and brush up on the ones they might have forgotten in the five years they'd been coming to Hogwarts.

Behind him, he heard Akane and Hermione whispering to each other about something. He couldn't quite make it out, but from the little shrieks and the red faced looks Hermione kept throwing Ron, he guessed it was of a somewhat private nature. He shook his head, both pleased and annoyed that his two closest friends were exploring a different side to their relationship. He spared a moment of selfpity to wonder if he'd ever get the chance for any kind of relationship before shaking his head to clear it of dark thoughts. The world was at a dark crossroads and the future was uncertain for all of them, not just himself. If his two closest and oldest friends could find comfort in these trying times with each other, then who was he to deny them? He should be happy for them, for he more then most, knew how difficult life could be without any kind of love to support you. His entire life had been near loveless, only the long forgotten and short period of time he'd spent with his parents contained any love within it.

Certainly, he'd gained friends, and a sort of friendship with the Weasley family since his return to the wizarding world, but it just wasn't the same as the love his parents had held for him, or the love they'd shared with each other. More then anything else- more then Quidditch, defeating Voldemort, or continuing to out perform Malfoy- Harry wanted to find someone to share his life with. Someone who would look at him and see only Harry, not The Potter Childe or the Boy-who-Lived. Just an average looking boy, with unkempt hair, and crooked glasses who was only mildly better at some magic then others. A lonely boy who wanted friends and family who cared for him, and who liked him. Instead of the relatives he was forced to live with. Relatives who hated and despised him and wished for nothing more then that he didn't exist.

He snorted and tried to pay attention to Flitwick, who was describing what had gone wrong with Neville and Ron's spells. His mind quickly started to wander again, and finally settled on the almsot universally hated Umbridge. He wondered if the Minister was trully aware of how the woman functioned. He'd seen several students come running out of detentions with her, crying and sobbing with pain, clutching their hands to their chests and not letting anyone see them. He'd experienced a small bit of it himself, when he'd served his first detention with her after refusing to allow her to humiliate Trelawney. He'd been brought to her little office off the dungeon level, and been made to right lines with a quill.

The quill had drawn blood from him to use as ink, and had cut the words into the back of his hand. Luckily, before it could get really bad, Millicent Bulstrode had come charging in, her hair as white as snow and her skin bearing a Tartan pattern. She'd claimed that Fred and George had tricked her into eating a tart left on the Gryffindor table at supper. Furious, Umbridge had gone off to scold the pair, only taking a moment to glance at Harry's hand. She did so to check if the words had started to show in the skin. Seeing them there, the witch had sent him on his way. She'd given him a warning that he needed to adjust his attitude and stop spreading lies, or next time, the words might bite deeper.

Harry didn't need much imagination to realise what was happening to his fellow students. The only problem was there was little he could do. All be told, he was only a student here at the school and had no power or strings to pull to get the woman removed. Not even the fame he had as the Boy-who-Lived could be of much help, thanks to Fudge's giving the woman free-reign over the school. Not even Ranma's influence was making a dent in the thick headed Minister's mind.

No, he and his fellow students just had to wait it out. Eventually, Voldemort would have to make a move that would announce his return to the public and then Fudge would have to backpedal quickly if he wished to remain in office. And Harry would make sure that his backpedling included the removal of Umbridge and her HIS and all of the insane rules and regulations the old biddy had forced on the school. Then he'd have Fudge removed from office and reveal the truth about his association with Lucious Malfoy and how easily he'd been bribed by that esteemed fellow. Though once Voldemort started up his attacks again, he'd have to find a way to expose all those who'd been at the resurrection. He'd need Dumbledore's help for all this, but considering what the old man and Sirius had told him, they had plans of their own in the works. He'd just have to make sure that the plans he and his friends formed didn't interfere with Dumbledore's.

The class ended and Harry gathered his books. He hadn't had a chance to practice the spells, but he didn't need as much revision of these spells as others did. He'd already had practical use for most of them just to make it to this year. Last year along, he'd gone through more spells and tricks then ever before to win the Triwizard cup. And still it hadn't been enough to keep Cedric alive.

Feeling the rise of sorrow again threatening to overtake him, Harry shook his head and leaned against the wall just outside the room. He had to wait for his friends who were still talking to the professor. They had Transfiguration next and rumor had it that Umbridge was going to finally sit in on another of his classes.

He hadn't long to wait as Ron, Hermione and Neville soon came out the door, talking avidly to each other while studying a small sheet of parchment.

"What you got there, 'Mione?" Harry asked as he fell into step next to Neville.

Hermione looked at him with a small frown. "Weren't you paying attention, Harry? This is the homework for charms for the next two weeks! Professor Flitwick made us wait after the rest of class left to give it to us. He also mentioned, and I quote: 'I hope you find this useful in your OTHER studies, Miss Granger, Mr.'s Longbottom and Weasley. I wish you and ALL your . . . associates the best of luck.'"

"So why's that go you so hyper, Hermoine?" Harry asked, not seeing the reason for the giddy manner of his closest friends.

Ron spoke up. "It means he KNOWS, Harry. He knows about HarHarTu, and he's trying to help out by giving us some spells and stuff to work on."

Harry gave the three a skeptical look, but Neville spoke before he could say anything. "Ron's right, Harry. None of the stuff here is supposed to be on the curiculum for this year. This is all at least 7th year or higher work, Harry. He's doing what he can since he can't openly teach us these spells without Umbridge finding out."

Harry took a moment to ponder what the others had told him. If Flitwick knew about the 'study group', and approved, how many other teachers also knew? Would any of them be willing to provide a little extra 'homework'? He needed to find out, and decided that he'd have to sneak into the teachers wing that evening to find some answers. He'd gather some of the members tonight at the Room, and go over a possible plan. If they were lucky, all the teachers would know, or at least suspect, and be willing to lend a hand though he doubted that Snape would approve. He seemed to get on well enough with the fat slug.

But first things first: Transfiguration was about to start, and he needed to focus if he wanted to transform the frog into a cat.

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Ranma grinned as he finished an assignment before handing it in to the teacher. He was actually doing pretty well in this class. Of course, he'd had a lot of experience over recent years with both healing arts and accupuncture. Tofu was still trying to convince him to become a doctor, but he found his interests drawn more and more to the physical nature of the world around him. His enhanced senses allowed him to view things that scientists had only speculated about for years, and he was tempted to go the path of science instead of medicine.

Kasumi and Akane playfully suggested he do both, but Ranma wasn't sure if he'd have the time. He did have to keep up his training, and spread his teachings to other students, as well as run a newly formed country. Being a doctor of medicine and quantam mechanics might a little much to add to his responsibilities. Maybe he'd choose one, then a few years after he finished studying, he'd go for the second.

Looking around and noting that he was the only one of the students done, Ranma glanced at Kasumi, who was teaching this class, and gestured outside. She gave him a bright smile and a wave, indicating that he could leave. He returned her grin, and bowed before sauntering out of the room, pausing at the last row to make a show of his exit as a jab at Ryoga and Taro who were struggling to finish the assignment. The two growled at him, then broke off to throw each other surprised looks while he laughed as he walked out.

With nothing else to do, the itch was more noticeable. He'd felt it for a few days, and knew that he had to do something about it. He just hadn't had the time to spend on scratching it until now. It was supposed to be a double Accupuncture followed by a spar, then lunch, so with a few hours to kill, Ranma decided to head to the platform where he'd left from during the Quidditch game.

He made his way out of the castle and walked around to the side with the platform. He could easily jump the full height or float up with the levitation trick Haabu had taught him but he felt like doing it the old fashioned way. So he lept for one of the side walls then rebounded and pushed himself higher to hit the other side wall. He continued jumping from wall to wall until he near the top. He did a couple of fancy flips and rolls in the air before landing on one foot on the precise tip of the wind compass. He stood there in a crane stance for a moment before flipping off the compass and over to a small ledge. He used the ledge as a launching point, and shot almost twenty feet straight up. His hands grasped the railing of the rampart and he through himself up and over onto the landing.

Grinning to himself he performed the obligatory bows and crowd waves even though there were no crowds. That done he made his way to the center of the stone catwalk landing and sat in a seiza position. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small marble. It was made of volcanic rock and contained a high quantity of ash residue. Which meant there would be a lot of carbon for him to play with. He'd done a lot of experimenting with this trick and was now trying different types of rocks to find the one that worked best. So far coal and graphite were the leaders, but he had high hopes for this volcanic rock and it's ash. He though he might be able to make purple diamonds, and maybe a dark red or green. He'd not been able to do those colors yet with the others, having found the most success in pinks, blues, and yellows.

He looked at the rock inches from his crossed legs and started to focus his inner eye on its shape. Soon he was lost again in the wonderous subatomic world he'd discovered just about a year before. Now though, he had enough exprience not to loose control and cause either an explosion or turn himself into a living popsicle. With a lot of work the only changes would be a slight drop in the ambient temperature around him and the drawing of electrical energy into his body from any active electronic equipment. Luckily, he didn't draw lightning bolts down anymore though he could do so if needed.

After a few moments, the his view shifted, and he was again lost in the subatomic world, seeking for new discoveries.

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	22. Section 22

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 22 of Magic vs. MA.

Let's see... What's next? I'm not sure, you'll have to read to find out. Sorry for the delay, but been I've busy lately.

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Harry groaned as yet another potion failed and caused him to become the object of Snape's ridicule. He just couldn't understand how he'd screwed up the potion so badly. He'd done everything exactly the way it was shown on the board at the front of the class. He looked back at the instructions and frowned. Hadn't that third step said to pour in the powder beetle shell and the diced frog guts at the same time, then stir clockwise? Why was it now showing that you were supposed to stir in a figure 8 pattern, adding the frog guts first, then switch to a forward-back up down stir pattern?

Harry sighed and put down his tools in disgust. He dumped the grayish mixture down the drain in the table and used a scourgify to clean his battered cauldron and bent utensils. He would just have to take yet another 0 in Potions from Snape. Damn it, why couldn't he have gotten that Cologne person instead of Snape? Just his luck, Snape finally teaches DADA, yet Harry is stuck with him for Potions. The only good thing was that he didn't have to deal with the greasy git in his favorite class, just his least favorite.

He was glad that this was the last time he'd have this class for a few days. He could use the break, though he didn't doubt that the whiny bastard would heap a load of extra homework on him to make up for the waste of time he'd managed today.

His mood was lifted as he recalled that they had a Quidditch practice, and that Ranma and Akane would be there, though neither was permitted to be on a team. They could still watch, and maybe try the game. Ranma had also agreed to show them all his dragon form, since he needed to spend some time in that form soon.

He was looking forward to seeing another dragon, one that wasn't trying to kill or eat him this time. He wondered about the size and shape of Ranma's dragon form, recalling only that he'd spotted a glint of blue scales and that he'd made Hagrid look like a child.

Oh well, he'd have a better view tonight. He was glad to have a study hall break next. He was a little sore from the martial arts class this morning, and the DADA course just before potions. In the first, he was tossed around by the Creevy's while in the second, he'd had to use a lot of power dueling against Malfoy. A lot more then he'd thought he would. The pompous git was obviously training hard, and had learned some rather nasty spells. He'd have to see if Ron or Hermione could try out some of those relaxation pressure points they'd been learning in their Acupuncture and Healing courses. He might skip supper and take a nap. The long days of study and physical exertion were starting to take their toll on him.

Not even Hermione could find fault with the study habits they'd been forced to adopt lately. It was OWL year for them, and they had a lot to study, even with Umbridge cutting out huge amounts of the practical work for nearly all the classes. The only real practical stuff they were doing now was in Sirius' DADA class, and the courses taught by the Sensei, Acupuncture and Healing. Well, those and Snape's class. The fat toad actually encouraged Snape to increase the difficulty of the potions in the class. Hermione had mentioned that some of the potions they had done were NEWT level standards, and they were supposed to be doing OWL level standards.

He stood from the desk and placed his empty beaker next to the ones that were filled with varying attempts at the days potion. Some looked as bad as his had been, while others looked nearly identical to what Snape had shown them. He ignored the triumphant sneer the greasy haired vindictive git threw him. He simply glared back and turned away, leaving the class. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to get up to the dorm and get that nap before someone stopped him and dragged him off for something he really didn't feel like doing right now.

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Ranma frowned and cursed under her breath. She hated these damn stockings. She'd rather not wear them, but they were part of the uniform. She'd rather wear pantyhose if she had to wear something. And all in all, she'd much rather wear slacks or pants instead of this heavy dress. Even a lighter skirt and blouse combo instead of this thick cotton jumper dresses that were required wear at Hogwarts. And the heavy buckle shoes didn't help. She was just glad that they only had to wear the silly hats for special occasions.

The robes weren't exactly comfortable or easy to move in either, she thought irritably as she tripped on the dragging hem just as the stairs she was going down started moving. It was the fourth time that day Ranma had gotten stuck on a moving staircase, making her late for three classes already. She was beginning to get angry that she had allowed Hermione and Akane talk her into wearing this get up, as they were allowed to wear non-traditional clothing, thought Akane and Kasumi had made the effort to stick close to the norm for the wizarding community. Ranma had continued to wear the clothes she felt most comfortable in, either the flowing sundresses or blouse/skirt combos, of the slacks and Chinese Tie Shirts.

The only reason she'd agreed to wear this today was because Akane had agreed to wear something more showy then she usually wore. A dress that had caught Ranma's eye, but that Akane had felt too skimpy to ever wear in public. So they had made a deal: Ranma would wear the tradition Hogwarts girls uniform today and the boys uniform the next, and Akane would wear the dress on Sunday. Ranma had been willing to do almost anything to see Akane wearing the dress, which was a nice shade of yellow with black highlights and a blue dragon embroidered pattern on the skirt.

The thought of that dress, with the proper undergarments being worn by her wife was enough to cause a rush of heat through Ranma's slim form. She took a moment while the stairs continued their movement to first savor and then control the excitement at the mere idea of Akane in the dress. She was able to get control of her hormones just as the stairs met up with the next landing and she moved as swiftly as she could into the corridor.

She frowned as she looked around. It was not a corridor she was familiar with .The halls was darker then any other she'd been in since arriving at the school, and there was a musty smell of old dust and something else. Something wild and untamed. She carefully made her way down the hall, checking a few doors but finding them locked. She could have easily broken the locks, but didn't want to deal with the surly groundskeeper Filtch.

She reached a door that she could hear some sound behind. A gentle twinning of some instrument she couldn't place. This door was surprisingly not locked, and swung open easily.

Warily, she entered the room and looked around. Noting the large, golden stringed instrument and it's haunting tune, she continued her sweep of the room. She froze as he eyes landed on the immense form of a beast unlike any she'd ever seen before in her life.

A huge three headed dog was slumbering peacefully, drool running out of all three of it's massive jaws. Each of mouths looked big enough to bite her in half at the waist. The teeth were about 2/3's the length and thickness of her forearms. Each had was bigger then her body and the shoulders back were even more massive. Ranma estimated that the dog was nearly as large as his draconian form. It certainly looked more muscular. The dog was obviously some kind of mastiff, though she'd never heard of a three headed dog before. She noted a set of three water dishes and three food dishes near a corner of the room. The name on the dish was 'Fluffy'.

Careful not to make any noise, she backed out of the room and closed the door. She was extremely glad that she had never feared dogs, only cats. And that was now a thing of the past, thanks to Akane and Ranko's insistence on his confronting his fear in the Dreamworld. With Akane at his side, and her continued growth in the martial arts, she'd been able to lay to rest many of her fears and worries. Akane was currently a match for nearly all of the old Nerima Wrecking Crew, and with a few months of hard training, she'd likely be equal to Cologne and Happosai. She was already stronger then Ryoga and as fast as Shampoo, but her forms needed some work, and she needed to be broken of the rut of pattern use in battle. She still relied too heavily on her strength to carry her through a fight and had little in the way of tactics or strategy other then 'Bash em hard, and if they still move, bash em again.' She was learning, but it would take time for her to grow into the habit of allowing her body to react instead of trying to consciously act on her knowledge.

Their training had taken a bit of a downturn as they struggled to adapt to their new situation at Hogwarts, and they didn't have the time to work as hard as they would have if they had been able to spend 6-10 hours a day training as they had in the time before they came to the school. In spite of that, Akane was still progressing steadily, and Ranma was grateful for the experience teaching her had provided him. Otherwise, he would never have been able to teach the rather eclectic skills of the Gryffindor students. There was too much disparity in the better students and the worst for his formerly impatient self to have tolerated. Working with Akane had allowed him to learn the patience needed for a master to pass on his knowledge to a person who learned at a slower rate then himself.

Shaking her head, she would have stayed longer, and maybe tried to get to know the dog, as she had always been fond of animals, but she didn't have time. She had already missed most of the Potions class, and no doubt, Ku Lon would be upset with her. As would Akane. No matter, she'd make it up to her husband that night, and talk to the Elder after supper. For now, she'd try and find her way back to their rooms and change out of this damn dress and into something more suitable for the evening. They were supposed to go watch the Gryffindor team practice Quidditch, and possible get a chance to try out the brooms. And after that, she would be transforming into her dragon form and going over to the same hunting grounds as before for a snack and some flight time. She'd likely take Akane with her and they would find some comfortable cave to spend the night before returning the next day to spend some time training with Ryoga, Taro, and the Ono's.

Ku Lon had wanted to be there with Mu Tsu and Xian Pu, but those two had become firmly entrenched in the Slytherin politics and she had decided to keep on eye on them. She'd had some disturbing sensations lately emanating from the pair and she wanted to see if she could find out what the two were hiding. She had wanted to ask Ranma to have his friends spy on the pair, but as she had told him, she didn't want to risk scaring the pair into doing something rash. So she would try and follow them unobtrusively the next day, though she didn't hold much hope of keeping up with both of them. She had the feeling that whatever each was up to had nothing to do with the other, and she was only 1 person after all.

Ranma eventually found her way to the class, but only in time to meet her husband as he walked out, carrying their supplies. The large blue-haired men frowned down at the shorter red-haired woman before sighing and placing a muscular arm on her powerful shoulders. "What happened, Ranma?" Akane asked as the little minx wormed herself into a hug as they walked through the halls.

"Got caught on another set of stairs and the damn robe and dress you made me wear made it impossible for me to just ump off and make my way here. Then I ended up in a corridor up on 3rd floor I think. It was real dark and dusty and all the doors were locked. Until I got to the end of the hall and found a battered old wooden door that looked like it was ready to fall off the hinges. Wanna guess what I found behind the door?" Ranma made sure to press her breast against her husband's side, knowing how easily distracted Akane could be in this form. Despite being able to change for nearly a year, she still had trouble controlling the hormone driven male urges. Not that Ranma ever really complained about those urges, since she was always up for a little workout, but it did distract and occasionally embarrass Akane how easily aroused her male form could be.

Akane felt Ranma rubbing herself against his side and broke out in a sweat. He'd spent most of the class wondering where Ranma had been and what she might be doing. This had lead to his having thoughts of what they could be doing together in he'd managed to stay with his wife earlier, instead of insisting on coming ahead to the class while Ranma cleaned their books and station in Astrology. This had caused him to be greatly distracted from Ku Lon's instructions and now he was being further distracted as her wife openly and public rubbed herself against his side. He casually allowed his hand to slip from his wife's shoulder to a much lower and more ...equitable position caressing the firm posterior of his wife's female form. "Er, what was that, Ranma?"

Ranma was getting annoyed. She'd wanted to tease her husband, but the bastard had upped the game by groping her butt. He knew full well what that did to his wife, and Ranma couldn't help but enjoy the sensation of the hand fondling her. Shaking her head, she went back to the question she'd asked her sneaky husband a few moments before.

"There was some type of instrument playing a soft, gentle song. And there was a huge three headed dog sleeping in the middle of the room. The dishes said the dog's name was 'Fluffy'." Ranma looked around to make sure no one was paying them any attention. "It was as big as my dragon form's body, Akane, and looked a lot more muscular. Seriously, it makes my dragon form look like Pops, all round and bloated while it was all muscle."

Akane blinked, continuing to fondle his wife's cheeks. "I wonder what it was doing there?" he asked to no one in particular. Then he shrugged and kissed the top of his wife's head. "It doesn't matter, love. We have other things to think about right now."

Ranma felt a surge of heat pooling in her stomach at the tone of her husbands words. Glancing coquettishly up at him through her lashed, she allowed a bit of breathlessness to enter her voice. "And what can you possibly have on your mind right now, husband?" She slid her hand down and goosed Akane's butt, causing the large form to jump and giving them both a thrill.

"Oh, I can think of a few things we can do, Ranma-chan. We can skip supper tonight. There's something I've been meaning to try that we haven't had a chance to do in a long time."

Ranma raised a thin red eyebrow. "Whatever do you mean, anata?" she asked innocently.

Akane leaned over and whispered into Ranma's ears for a moment, causing the Red head to breath heavily and blush as deeply as her hair color. "We'd better hurry then, anata. I don't mind missing supper, but we do have to meet our friends later, and it sounds like you have some very . . .time consuming idea."

Akane grinned. "In that case, hold these." he handed the cauldrons to the confused red head who grabbed them. Then still grinning, he tucked his wife under one arm like a football and started running towards their quarters. He ignored the indignite screaming of his wife, knowing that she was in as much of a hurry as he was and that she was well aware that in her current get up, it would take too long to get back to their rooms before their desire cooled.


	23. Section 23

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 23 of Magic vs. MA.

I like how this is going so far. I hope it goes over well and that you enjoy it. It's a bit different in POV then others since it's mostly about what is happening back in Angwan and the structure of the Council.

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Nodoka Saotome was not a happy woman at this particular moment in time. In fact, for most of the last 18 or 19 years, happiness had been rare for the strong willed Japanese woman. Usually the source of her displeasure was her weak willed and pathetic husband, who was also a source of misery for large sections of the population for most of Japan and China, as well as several other Asian states. The one source of happiness in her life over that period of time was her son, Ranma.

Right now, the major source of anger affecting her was the behavior of Lord Saffron of the Phoenix People. He was currently late once again for a council meeting and had again failed to send word of his tardiness ahead of himself. He was rude and disrespectful, and treated the council as though they were there to serve his whims, not for the betterment of all their peoples. The rejoining of the Musk, Amazons, and Phoenix had for the most part been going smoothly, but Saffron was a major obstacle for lasting peace among the formerly warring tribes. He, along with a section of Phoenix people loyal to him, were trying to cause dissent among the various people, standing in the way of full acceptance of the future.

This meeting of the council was scheduled to deal with seeking to provide better aid to their lord and his chosen aids as they were currently attempting to integrate into the Wizarding population of the United Kingdoms. Ranma, his wife Akane, Revered Grandmother Ku Lon and several of their staunchest supporters were currently attending the magical school of Hogwarts in hopes of fostering strong diplomatic ties to the besieged nations of Europe during their battle against the Dark Lord Voldemort. Voldemort had just recently been returned to power after nearly 14 years of absence, and was again terrorizing the country with the help of his loyal followers, known as Death Eaters.

Currently, the Ministry of Magic, the ruling body of the wizarding world in the UK was interfering constantly and intrusively in the running of Hogwarts, which was historically run independent of all Ministerial mandates. The source of interference was in the personage of Delores Umbridge, who's ministry title was 'Undersecretary to the Minister'. She had been positioned at Hogwarts as 'High Inquisitor' and been given nearly limitless powers to punish students, search mail and personal correspondence, cancel and shutdown any team or club or organization within the student body and assign whatever manner of assignments or workload as she so desired. She was turning the school into her own personal dictatorship.

The only restraint she showed was in regards to Ranma and the others in the contingent from Angwan. But she was terrorizing the rest of student body. From what the council had received from Elder Ku Lon and Matriarch Ono, as well as the matriarchs husband not to mention Lord Ranma and his queen Akane, the woman was doing her best to insure that the students didn't get to put into practice any of what they were learning. And much like martial arts, in order to truly grasp the concepts taught in the books and scrolls, you needed to actually practice what was described. So in essence, Umbridge was handicapping the students and seriously lowering their chances of survival in the upcoming conflict. The English Minister might be denying that a conflict was brewing and that the Dark Lord had returned, but the other ministers in Europe and other nations were preparing for all out war against the Dark forces.

Nodoka was sure herself where to stand on the issue, but for the sake of her newly rediscovered people, she would do her best to prepare. And part of that preparation meant having this meeting to find a means to resolve the Umbridge issue and safeguard the children and the helpless non-magical folk of the United Kingdom. She found it odd that the people of Europe had such separation of their magical and non-magical populations, as it was much less pronounced in most Asian nations. While in the European nations, the two were kept totally separate, in Asia, the wizarding people lived side by side with their non magical brethren. They went to the same schools, and learned all the same history and the like, but the wizarding students had specialized juku or study groups that allowed them to practice and learn about magic. Accidental exposure of magic was written off as obscure forms of martial arts.

"Where is that blasted Phoenix?" demanded a harsh, craggy voice from the opposite end of the half-moon council chamber.

Nodoka looked up towards the speaker, one Elder Nau Xe Ma. She was, like most Amazon elders, a wrinkled, shrunken woman barely three feet tall. Unlike the others, she kept her hair short, and didn't carry/pogo-vault a staff. She stood proud in her diminished stature, as she was currently the Arms-Mistress of the Amazon Nation. It was her responsibility to teach the Art to the general population and lead the Amazon Warriors into battle. It was rumored that she was the most dangerous fighter among the Three Tribes. It was also well known that she despised the Phoenix branch of the Tribes, and most especially Lord Saffron.

"If we knew, we would send a runner to summon him, Nau Xe." replied Lord Haabu of the Musk from his seat just to the right of center. The center seat was Lord Ranma's and remained empty in his absence, as did the seat to the left which was Queen Akane's. Next to Haabu sat his wife, Nabiki, who many still referred to as the Ice Queen, though now there were several interpretations of the name. As her son's proxy during his absence, Nodoka could have taken his seat during the meetings, but chose to remain in her place, on the end of the table where she could see the rest of the council without having to crane her neck around the large room.

"Apologies My Lord, but I grow tired of waiting on the spoiled brat-ling and his cronies. I would have thought that with the Phoenix people rejoining the Tribes, that the need for the arrogant pompous ass would have ended. I wonder why he has been granted a place on this council as he has shown neither an interest or respect towards being here among us."

"We are aware of the . . . troubles our compatriot has experienced due to the move from his ancestral home. We hope that he will soon grow to see that while he is no longer the sole source of strength and health for his people, he is still much needed by them and by the entire Nation." Haabu stated in his usual cool tones. "We have given him time to come to terms with the new order of things, as I have come to accept that I am no longer the sole ruler of my people. Such attitudes are outdated and destined to doom us all. Thanks to the advancements of modern technology and weapons of war, it no longer matters how powerful an individual is. There are weapons that can shatter islands and flatten mountain ranges. Weapons that can kill all life on this world and turn it into a barren shell of what it is and could be. Saffron is undoubtedly a powerful figure and shall be as long as he lives, but he must realize that he can no longer treat people, Phoenix or otherwise, as mere chattel for his amusement. Hopefully he comes to that realization without costing the lives of his followers or innocent bystanders."

A shriveled figure in a dark yellow robe rapped on the panel set into the table before her, drawing the attention of the council to herself. "No matter, Lord Haabu. This council has a great deal to discuss in only a short time. We must begin without any further delays. Should Lord Saffron arrive during the discussion, then we will gladly accept any advice he might offer into consideration, but until then let us begin. We all know why we have gathered today. So, let us have it. What can we do about this Umbridge that Lord Ranma has mentioned to us?" Elder Xene Xone demanded, her eyes sweeping the council.

"Why do we no simply recommend to Lord Ranma that he kill the woman and be done with her? He could mail her head to this corrupt minister with a warning to cease his harmful actions towards the school and the country in general?" Not surprisingly, this suggestion came from Major Kiima, formerly Captain of the Guard and Saffron's one time closest ally. She was currently in the cursed form made from the time Saffron had ordered her to kidnap Queen Akane in order to lure Lord Ranma into a battle. A battle in which the immortal Phoenix had been soundly defeated and still had not recovered fully from. After his rebirth, he'd been placed in Kiima's care until he matured again, but retainers had suborned her place and taken the infant Lord and applied their magic's and the nature of the Phoenix to speed his growth. He now appeared to be a man near the end of his teens and just taking his first steps to adulthood.

After the rejoining of the Tribes was forced on the arrogant Phoenix king, and the PRA had begun systematically burning all plant life as well as digging into the ancestral home of his people, Saffron had been forced to accept the offer to relocate to the recently created isle of Angwan. And once she'd seen her people safely settled into the community, if not fully accepted, Kiima had resigned from the arrogant Lord's staff and joined the growing militia. She had been moved up the ranks at Lord Ranma's insistence and she was on the council as a military consultant and would take the duties of General/Admiral should the country ever be faced with open warfare. The armies would be lead by Haabu, as CiC and Lord Ranma as King of Angwan. Lord Ranma would have the final say, but it would be Lord Haabu who created any strategies and tactical planning. According to the current charter of laws created by the council at Lord Ranma's insistence, the chain of command was Lord Ranma, Lord Haabu, Revered Grandmother Ku Lon, Queen Akane, and Lord Saffron, then the general staff beginning with Kiima, then Princess Nabiki, and on from there.

"That is one possible way to settle this. But perhaps we should try something a little less. . .bloody for our first real act of international diplomacy." Nabiki said in a voice nearly as cool as Haabu's. Even after a year, she still hadn't come to accept Kiima's apologies for the treatment of her baby sister, and hated seeing the older woman in her sister's familiar form. "We should make other arrangements. Does any one know who is in charge of the wizard population of Japan? Or other nearby nations? If we present a united front to this minister and appeal to his survival instincts, we have a better chance of getting what we want from him."

Nodoka called for the attention and replied. "I believe that in Japan at this time it is the Emperor's wife who is the head of the wizarding community. His Majesty is himself a wizard of no minor talent, though he has of course advanced as he might have in times past due to the public nature of his position. I could send a message to her and see if she would agree to meet a delegation of the council at her convenience but in a timely fashion."

"Would she be willing to respond to such a request, Matriarch Saotome?" asked a tall, elderly gentleman with floppy ears and short whiskers on a buttonish nose. This was Tah Abbi, one of the few survivor of the court of Haabu's father. He was one of two Musk representatives on the council, not counting Prince Haabu.

Nodoka tilted her head in a minute bow to the older man. "The Empress would never refuse a reasonable request from a member of her family, Tah Abbi. I am her cousin by blood, and have dined on occasion at the Palace during those rare times she and her husband could take a moment to spare a childhood friend."

Nabiki started laughing as a long standing issue settled in her mind. The entire council turned to look at the normally reserved woman. She got herself under control and apologized for interrupting. "I am sorry, my fellow councilors, but Matriarch Saotome's little confession has cleared up something that has plagued my mind for some time. Your . . . connection, Auntie, is part of the reason why all the madness in Nerima made by the Wrecking Crew was never brought to any official attention? And why the police always ignored what was going on?"

Nodoka smiled. "That is part of the reason, Nabiki dear. Another is that your family, the Tendo's are an ancient and powerful clan on their own. They were once the right hand of the Emperor's ancestors and as such, has always been granted great leniency and practical immunity from such mundane matters. How do you think that after Happosai's training, neither my husband nor your father were ever in jail for any real length of time? Speak to them, and they will claim it was due to their skill at escapism and evasion, but in reality, they would be held until the hangover's wore off and released with warnings to try and behave better in the future. Not that they ever headed those warnings, at least until your father met your mother when he was attempting to steal the bras and undergarments of her dorm mates at the Temple where she was living at the time." Nodoka giggled a little, causing most of the council to relax their usual stiff expressions. "Your mother was a little hellcat with that naginata of hers. She used to beat me quite easily, and I was the women's Kendo champ 8 years running prior to Ranma's birth. Whenever your father started acting too outlandish, she'd set him straight with a good knock around the head."

"Really? I never knew that." Nabiki stated, impressed with the older woman and the insight into her mother and father's relationship. Shaking her head, she resolved to discuss this later with the woman who had become something of a surrogate mother to her and her siblings since being reintroduced to her son. "So the Empress will take our request for a meeting? Then who should we include in the delegation. Aside from Saotome-domo herself?"

Elder Nau Xe Ma spoke next. "We should include 1 member from each of the three Tribes. Matriarch Saotome can go as Lord Ranma's proxy and my self or Xene Xone can go to represent the Amazon's and Revered Grandmother. Major Kiima could come as a show from the Phoenix and as military advisor. And perhaps Tah Abbi should come for the Musk."

Nodoka leaned forward in a bow to the Elder. "I will gladly go, but I can not go as representative of Lord Ranma. The blood ties between myself and the Empress, and therefore my son and the Empress preclude me taking that stance. I will go as a mediator and neutral observer. I would suggest that in my stead, that Lady Nabiki go as my son's proxy and that Lord Haabu represent the Musk." A twinkle lit up the Saotome matriarch's eye as she contemplated the powerful form of the Musk Prince. "After all, the Empress is still a woman, and I don't know any woman alive who would refuse a request from such a . . . manly figure as Lord Haabu."

The female members of the council broke into hearty laughter while the prince in question simply attempted to ignore everyone.

Haabu stood and made to speak, but the doors swung open and Mint and Ramie entered with grim expressions on their faces.

"What is the meaning of this interruption, foolish oafs? This is a closed session of the council." Xene Xone demanded, drawing a blade equal to her own height from . . . somewhere within her robes.

The two strode to stand before their liege, dropping to their one knee and bowing their heads. "Please forgive the intrusion by these unworthies, honored council, but we bring grave news."

Haabu frowned and glanced to each side to make sure the others would hear the news. "What news do you bring, warriors?"

"We bring news of treachery to the council and Angwan, Lord Haabu. Lord Saffron and his loyal vassals have fled the isle, but not before killing several of the isles inhabitants. Including Sire Chevron of the Phoenix and several Musk. There were also some . . . liberties taken with the personages of some of the more comely Amazon warriors who attempted to stop their flight. A few Musk and even some Amazon men left with him."

Haabu froze at the words utter by his most loyal of men. His heightened senses could hear the collective pause in the heartbeats of all those on the council.

Fury rose and his aura flashed into existence. He rose several inches into the air while struggling to retain control of the immense forces he usually held in check with ease. "Betrayal!" He roared, sounding much like the voices of his ancestors in their natural forms. Windows shattered and buildings shook from the force of his roar. He would have continued, but Minto raised his head and dared look him in his eyes, startling him back into some degree of control. "What else, Minto?"

"My Lord, the bodies of the dead were desecrated. They were marked with a symbol, Lord Haabu and as he flew away, Lord Saffron dropped this." Minto pulled out a bundle from behind himself and with a flick of his wrist, sent it spreading across the floor at Haabu's feet. It was a large black cloak and sewn into the hood of the cloak was a white faceless mask.

Haabu started down at the cloak, hearing the gasps of the rest of the council as they too recognized the description sent along with Ranma's letters by a new friend of his.

"What of the mark?" he asked in a voice like rolling thunder. "Describe it!"

Shakily, Raimu did better. He pulled a pad and pen and drew the mark etched onto the skin of the Dead. "IT was this symbol, my Lord."

Haabu didn't need to see it and passed the pad to his wife. The pad went from councilor to councilor and each began muttering under their breath at the sight.

There was no doubt. It was what the English called the "Dark Mark" and the bundled cloth and mask were the garb of a Death Eater. There could be no other conclusion: Saffron had joined with Voldemort.


	24. Section 24

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 24 of Magic vs. MA.

Let's see... What's next? Summer season at work is over, so I have more time and energy to be writing. I had done a few ch's but I had a disk read error and lost 7ch of several of my stories in early July and I haven't had time/energy/drive to write them over.

Okay. I'm sure by now, most of the repeat readers will have noticed that my chapters tend to include two or three subsections. This is no different. The first will be heavily Nabiki and co, the second will be magician reliant. And IF there's a 3rd, it will likely show someone I either haven't done yet (toying with a Fudge/Umbridge conversation, but not getting it quite right just yet) or someone who hasn't been there often (possibly Tofu/Kasumi and the pregnancy or possibly Khu Lon. Maybe a 2nd Magic POV) I know that the next chap will be someone from the HP world, with a section for Shampoo, or possibly finally get to Voldemort. I really want to get the meeting between Tommy and Saffron in the next 2 chaps, even if it doesn't fit the rest of the chapter sections.

I'm also trying something new between chapter sections. I'll put little blurbs and notes about previous section before going on to the next section.

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"What the hell do you mean you can't get a message through? Ranma needs to know about this ASAP! Damn it, what's going on over there?" Nabiki demanded of the person in charge of Wizarding mail in Japan.

"I'm sorry, Princess, but the owls and other messages I've sent to Hogwarts have all been returned unopened. I have tried reaching them through the floo network, but it hasn't been working. There's some type of Ministry ban on communicating with the school. Something about not wanting a hysterical attention seeking boy telling lies in order to frighten the population and make himself even more famous. Seems the boy is something of a celebrity, being the only person to ever survive when that Dark Lord Voldemort wants them dead. It's said that the boy has claimed to have even battled and defeated the Dark Lord."

"I couldn't give a Yen for a dollar about some stupid wannabe evil wizard. But Ranma needs to know that Saffron has joined forces with this Voldy-Oldy guy. And that's he's brought some of the more dangerous Musk, Amazon, and Phoenix soldiers with him. Ranma might be able to beat Saffron alone, but with the two dozen other people Saffron's bringing with him, and deal with magic. Ranma's always had a weakness when it comes to magic. I know he's got Akane, Ryoga, and those others, but I don't know if any of them are a match for the people Saffron coerced or convinced to join him." She paced in the small office muttering under her breath, unsure for once what to do.

A pleasant chill coursed through her body and she glanced at the door to her office and couldn't help the grin that broke on her face. Her husband, Haabu, King of the Musk, Councilor of Angwan and arguably one of the three most powerful martial artists on the planet was leaning casually against the doorframe, dressed in gray slacks and a tight gray sweater. He was hovering several inches above the surface of the floor, watching her with a soft expression on her face. He was also in his female form, which indicated that he'd likely been training with the Amazons earlier. They refused to train with him when he was in male form, and while he hadn't accepted his curse to the same degree that Ranma and Akane had, he was much more at peace with it.

"Hello wife. I returned from my training with the troops and couldn't find you. So I thought, 'Where would my beloved Ice Queen have gone?'. I checked the council chambers and Xo Me said you were trying to send another message to Ranma. So here I am." Haabu allowed a trace of warmth to color his otherwise coolly spoken words. Marriage to Nabiki and spending time with Ranma as an equal, as well as their coming to terms with their mutual attraction, had helped the arrogant Musk prince loosen up and show a more human face to others. Though he only ever really let go with her and Ranma.

At one point, she had wondered whether she should feel threatened by the visible bonds of attraction and affection between the two only living dragons. But talking to her sister had helped her come to terms with the fact that their husbands were now and would likely always be a little in love with each other. They couldn't help how they felt. Physically and personality wise, they were really a better match for each other then either of the wives they had taken, and if Ranma and Haabu had met each other first, neither she nor Akane had any doubt that the two would be lovers, if not married. But fate had had other plans for the foursome, and as Ranma and Haabu had come to terms with their femininity, so had Akane and Nabiki come to accept and honor the love that bound the four of them together. Neither Akane nor Nabiki held any fear that Ranma and Haabu would betray them in any way, and that the pair would love them for as long as they lived. But Both knew that there might come a time that they would pass on, and leave Ranma and Haabu to continue without them, and both accepted the inevitability of their husbands finding love with each other when that day came.

Now, with Akane working to become a dragon herself, Nabiki felt no fear that her sister would bar her husband from joining in their love. In a rather perverse way, Nabiki was looking forward to that time, as she knew that her beloved Haabu could have no greater loves then Akane and Ranma. The pair would be of great comfort to him once she was gone. Oh, some would wonder why she didn't consider trying to gain the Gift herself, but she had no desire to live the rather involved and elongated life span of a Cold Dragon. She would be content to live her life and pass on before she saw her children and grandchildren die of old age. This attitude would surprise many who didn't know her well, as she still projected the image of the Ice Queen to most of the world, but her love for Haabu, Ranma, and her sister was too great for such deception.

She'd had a very frank and open talk with Akane several months ago, and the two had outlined all their concerns. She'd made sure that Akane understood that as much as she loved Haabu, she didn't want her husband wasting away after her death, and that the only way she saw to prevent that was allowing the love between Haabu and Ranma to grow. She'd been apprehensive, but Akane had eased her concern, expressing her own wishes that should the worst happen to her, that Nabiki also help Ranma remain in the world. Nabiki had admitted her own attraction to Ranma, and even went as far as to describe some of her masterbatory fantasies involving him and his female form. Akane had just chuckled and told her that she'd been aware of Nabiki's 'hidden' desire since the first time Nabiki had realized what she had refused the night Ranma came into their lives.

The younger woman had blushed and admitted that she'd had a fantasy or two about the powerfully built Musk warrior since he'd come into their lives. Ranma and Haabu were just too similar for their not to be an attraction, and Nabiki had rather embarrassingly added that part of what had first drawn her to Haabu was how much like Ranma he was. She explained that the night after Ranma had first grown the diamonds and shown them what he could do, she had been considering asking Akane if she would be willing to accept her as Ranma's concubine, as she had thought that she would never be able to find a man who could affect her even a tenth as much as Ranma. But before she could work up the nerve, Haabu had blown into their lives and Nabiki had been drawn to him instantly.

She had explained how she might have first been drawn by their similarities, but it was their differences that had held her attention and firmly tied her love and well being to the somewhat closed and outwardly cool prince. Haabu, unlike Ranma, had taken great pains and expense to educate himself in several areas aside from the martial arts. He was an astute businessman, excellent negotiator, and well versed in several different manners of warfare. It was this reason that when the council had elected Ranma as King(well, really emperor, but since Angwan was technically still a property of Japan, and subject to Japan's Emperor, that title was considered blasphemous for their use) and Ranma had chosen Haabu as WarLeader and Highest Ranking member of what was essentially an entirely volunteer military force. Ranma was too laid back and even tempered most of the time to be in charge of any military operations. And with such a small population (about 4000 Amazons, 6200 Phoenix, barely 200 Musk, and perhaps 300 or 400 various 'human' expatriates), the military also acted as the police force. Another area Ranma had no aptitude to handle. Basically, the councilors ran everything, and Ranma just approved whatever the rest of then hammered out amongst themselves.

Figuratively shaking her head to clear it of the thoughts, she smiled and moved over to her spouse, forgetting about the rather annoying bitty working the Wizarding branch of Angwan's Post Office. "So how was training, lover?" she asked, allowing her voice to drop huskily while she seductively her way to the silver haired temptress. She was pleased by the reaction she got, as Haabu lost control and sunk down to the floor, blushing prettily and glanced at the older woman behind her, embarrassed by Nabiki's forwardness and the open of a part of their life they usualy kept private.

"Easy there, my Queen." Haabu whispered huskily as Nabiki pressed herself against his slim female form, allowing her hands to grasp the frost-haired Dragon's hips in order to pull them closer together. The feel of his wife's body rubbing against his own increased the fire he constantly felt when near her or even when he simply thought of her. He shook his head to try and control the surging hormones in his female body. "Training went well, though there was sorrow that there were Amazons among the defectors, as well as among the dead. Many couldn't understand what would turn their sisters to side with Saffron and to allow the desecration that was done to the Amazon dead."

Nabiki rested her head in the hollow of Haabu's neck, finding her own comfort in the feel of her female husband's arms surrounding her and the hand that went up to caress her hair. It reminder her greatly of the few good memories of her mother. She could recall her mother comforting her like this after a bad dream, at least in the times before she became really ill and was bed-ridden and then hospital bound. The greatest sorrow she shared with her oldest sister was that Akane held no memories of the woman who'd brought her life, and they both did their best to pass on their memories of her to their youngest sister. Their father had tried during their childhood, but the pain had been too fresh. Thankfully, now that they were all safely and happily wed, his sorrow was slowly lessening, and he was able to pass on his own memories of his beloved wife to each of his daughters.

"I can sort of understand what they were thinking, even if I don't like it, my Lord and Lady." stated the woman behind them.

The pair turned to over look the woman, their faces settling into matched masks of cold indifference. "What do you mean, Matron?" Nabiki asked, her voice leaving a chill in the air.

"Just what I said, my lady. There have been many changes in our live sin recent years, and some of those changes go against everything we were taught to believe long before the world ever heard the name Ranma Saotome. While many of the changes have been good for us, some long for a return to the old ways. They don't like having to accept men as their equals, and they especially dislike having to admit that someone outside the Amazon tribe has been deemed worthy of the Gift of the Cold Dragon. That Amazons are not the best and most dangerous warriors in the world. The resent being shown how small and petty their wars with the Phoenix and Musk were. Hate being shown that they are so far behind technologically and socially. They would rather go back to the lands of our ancestors and bury their heads in the sand, forgetting and ignoring the rest of the world and how little they really matter. We used to be sought after for our knowledge of healing, martial arts, and magic, and now we are considered backwards barbarians and a people from a past most would like to forget or ignore. That hurts them in a way I don't think you can understand, my Lady. You grew up in the modern world and are, if I may say with all honestly, what a modern woman should be. Sexy, intelligent and ruthless in ways most Amazons could not begin to understand."

The woman paused taking a breath and studying the second most powerful couple in their society. Princess Nabiki, as had become her title upon her wedding to then Prince Haabu, was a warrior of the mind, not of the body. Her mental skills and talents went into areas that until their move to this new home, the Amazons had no idea even existed. She had some training in the martial arts, as befit one from her long line of Samurai and warrior ancestors, but compared to others in the inner circle of power, she was little more then a dilettante. She could protect herself more then adequately against the weak skills of those on the false path but against a True Martial Artist, she'd not stand a chance. Her skills would awe and amaze the American's and the rest of the Western world, but here in the East, and some of the older lands, they would pale to those of a child.

"You are not a warrior, nor are you from our world, my Lady. You do not FEEL what an Amazon warrior feels when facing battle. You thrive on your version of battle, this quest fore money and wealth, but we, the Amazon Nation, the Musk, and the Phoenix, have always been warriors and soldiers. We have lived basic lives compared to what you have experienced. We had not television, or electricity or any of the other comforts you've introduced to us since we have arrived. And there are those that feels that these new found aspects to our lives will weaken us and make us little more then the weak-willed woman that we have experienced on our journey to this land. They feel useless in this modern world. They are warriors and hunters and protectors, who no longer need go to war, or hunt or even protect. The only skills they have, skills they have spent their lives learning and that their ancestors and elders have spend centuries crafting no longer have a place in the world. And it hurts, my Lady. It hurts like nothing they've ever felt in all their combined years.

"That is why they joined Saffron and this evil wizard in the West. To regain what they lost. The most important thing in the world."

Nabiki and Haabu raised eyebrows in near mirror image expressions.

"And what is that?" the Dragon lord asked in his husky Alto tones that warmed Nabiki like nothing else.

"Self-Respect."

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Well how was it? I wanted to combine a few things in this, showing Nabiki's worry about what's going on and why Ranma hasn't responded to her attempts to mail him news about Saffron, and how she goes about trying to get it to him.

So I decided that since in Angwan, magic is not hidden or denied, it made no sense to have separate offices for more mundane means of government and then the more esoteric methods and joined the two. So when the average resident goes to a post office, they aren't asked 'Would you like that Airmailed?', they are asked 'Would you like that sent by Owl Post service?'. I also wanted to show that their are fewer Musk then any others, and that the Phoenix and Amazon's were the more ...populous races. the human expatriates I mention are 'normal' or wizard born Japanese, Chinese and other races who learned of the creation of Angwan and moved there.

good chapter so far I hope, let's keep it going. Here's a Fudge/Umbridge moment.

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Cornelius Fudge was not a man used to being under public scrutiny. Usually, most of his decisions and policies were well received and approved quickly by the various government agencies and wizarding councils. Yet his attempts to suppress and control the actions of Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore were dragging his reputation down. He had to find a way to discredit them. To make the wizarding population see his way in this. Dumbledore didn't understand what he was doing by announcing that He-who-must-not-be-Named had returned. He couldn't see the spreading panic and fear.

He needed to get something on Potter, Dumbledore's Golden Boy. Something that would allow him to show REAL proof that the boy was wrong by claiming that HwmnbN was returned to life. He'd almost managed a few times to tarnish the boy's reputation. First that incident with the boy's Aunt and the cake dropped on her by the house elf. Then there was that blown up Aunt due to accidental magic. He'd taken a different attempt the year after, trying to get Potter to forsake Dumbledore, but the boy had ignored his overtures of friendship. Worse still, the boy had been secretly entered and WON the Tri-Wizard tournament. His fame kept growing, and Fudge was beginning to think that Dumbledore was using the boy as a means of taking him from his position and becoming Minister in his place.

He was waiting for a report from his Undersecretary, Delores. She was supposed to have managed to at least find out some of the boy's habits and mannerisms that they could turn into examples of his mental breakdown. So far though, she'd had little luck. She'd managed a few minor inconveniences to the boy and other students, but outside pressure from some Foreign powers were forcing the Ministry to reverse the decisions she and he were forcing on the school. She'd had several good and innovative plans for isolating the boy, but those damn fools were conceding to the wishes of those strange people from the Eastern Nations.

A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled his first sight of the representative that this new land of Angwan had sent. He'd thought the person to be a beast and had tried to have him attacked, but the man's bodyguards had easily defeated the guards in the council chambers and no one had been able to summon more Aurors or Hit Wizards. The man had been rather calm about it all, explaining that he was aware of the prejudice that permeated the European and African nations regarding people of mixed heritage, but that those in the East honored the gifts bestowed on those who were more then just human.

He felt a surge of indignation at the thought that the half-breed considered his impurity to make him better than a pureblood wizard. He shook it off and went to sit near the floo. Delores was supposed to call in a few moments and he wanted to hear if she'd gotten over her little scare by that one called Ranma. There was a person he'd had to admit he was glad he'd never met. He had somehow terrified poor Delores so badly that for a few weeks she'd avoided doing anything that might attract his attention. And the sheer devotion and awe in the voices of the representatives from Angwan when speaking of the man they called their king worried him.

They showed no signs of fear, only love and respect, and he didn't trust a ruler of leader who didn't inspire fear of some kind in his followers. Respect and love were all well in good, but a healthy does of fear or apprehension about the government was a strong deterrent to prevent most but the truly foolish from attempting rebellion.

There was a chiming and he turned eager to face the floo. "Madame Umbridge. A pleasure as always. What have you to report today?"

The toad like greenish face floated in the smoke of his fireplace bowed it's head towards him. "Good evening, Minister. I've had a rather productive day. I've found a way around the foolish interference of the outsiders."

Fudge raised an eyebrow. He would like banish all those from Angwan out of Britain, but he lacked the number of votes needed in the council. "Oh, how is that?"

"Potter's main source of pleasure and what he enjoys most is Quidditch. And more basically flying around on his broomstick. I've read the histories and laws of Hogwarts and I believe I've found the means to ensure that Potter will be forced off the Gryffindor Quidditch team."

"So what is this plan, Delores?" Fudge asked the rotund undersecretary.

"First, I have found way to ban all but the most basic brooms from being used in the Quidditch games. This takes away the advantage of Potter's Firebolt. Then you can start an inquest into Sirius Black."

"Black? I know Dumbledore has him teaching there, but surely the guards assigned to ensure his limited access to areas outside the school are sufficient"

"True, for here. But did you know that he's an animagi? And illegal animagi and that that is how he escaped from Azkaban in the first place? You will issue the inquest into how he became an animagi, which also will lead you to know that Potter's father was also an animagi. Since you will have proof that Black has indeed committed a crime, you can then order further inquests into his actions, including a search of all his accounts. You can order that all assets purchased or otherwise obtained since his escape be seized and held until such a time as he is either cleared or found guilty of the crime or crimes you investigate him for. Even if you find proof that he didn't kill those muggles and Pettigrew, it won't matter since there are several crimes that he is guilty off that would have landed him in Azkaban any way." She paused for a moment. "This also then allows you to continue to block the mail and the Prophet as you can 'investigate' the Prophet to see if anyone had any contacts with Black, and check the mail to ensure that no one is writing to Black or that someone is sneaking messages out for Black."

Fudge had not obtained his position in the wizarding world because of any great magical ability but by the fact that he was a deeply cunning and astute man. He was a natural born politician, whose every instinct and thought geared him to both see the opportunity for increasing his own support, but also being able to say exactly what an audience wanted to hear. So even during Delores' report, he was beginning to formulate a plan of action to take advantage of her news.

"Delores, this is excellent! I will issue a statement in the prophet regarding the acquirement of evidence that suggest that Black, Potter Sr., and Peter Pettigrew became illegal animagi while at Hogwarts. I will pass on the theory that they did so in order to better sympathize with their friend, the werewolf Remus Lupin. I will let it known that I suspect that they had the support and aid of someone in a position of authority to break the law and that we are investigating leads into who that might be. It should be clear that I . . .we are referring to Dumbledore, which should limit his influence. And we can also explain that we shall investigate the incident for which Black was sent to Azkaban. If we should find some proof of his guilt, all the better as it will draw Dumbledore's supporters into rescinding their acceptance of Black as a teacher at Hogwarts. While Dumbledore, as Headmaster, can choose whosoever he wishes to teach at Hogwarts, the loss of support in the Council will hinder any attempts he has to continue to broadcast the return of HwmnbN. And as a proven criminal who has profited from his crimes, all his assets will be forfeit, and all assets purchased after his escape will be seized and destroyed or sold off. Even in the case that we find he was not responsible, that it was some unknown party seeking to kill both Black and Pettigrew as James Potter's last friends, we can still claim that Black's sentence was carried out and that he faces no further punishment." Fudge smiled and leaned back in his chair.

"Excellent news indeed, Delores. There's no way that the blasted foreigners will be able to object to our monitoring the potential dangers of a convicted criminal who might have corrupted some of the students. This means we can keep the block on the Prophet, and continue our search of all mail items, not delivering those that pertain 'questionable' information." He chuckled and steeples his fingers while studying the face of his closest acquaintance. "Once support for Dumbledore has lowered and Potter is disgraced, you can easily be moved in to take the position of Headmistress. And then your decrees can all be reinstated."

"Thank you, Minster. I simply wish to do my best for the protection for the students and the security of the wizarding public. Good night." The toad face disappeared in a puff of smoke and Fudge remained, continuing to contemplate his future plans.

He felt a moments doubt, and considered for a moment that Potter and Dumbledore were correct and that the Dark Lord had returned. But he scoffed and moved to his desk, taking out a roll of parchment and an Ever-Inked quill. 'He-who-must-not-be-Named is dead and gone, and Potter is just an excitable boy who was easily tricked by a few random dark wizards attempting to cash in on the Dark Lord's legacy of fear'. It's too bad that young Diggory had to die for the fools to continue their play on Potter's and Dumbledore's superstitions, but once he could remove Dumbledore from his positions and show that once and for all, he, Cornelius Fudge, was the right man to lead the Ministry into the next century.

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So did I capture Fudge and Umbridge decently? Can you see them doing these if they weren't able to work their original plan?

I'm adding a 3rd section, the meeting of Voldemort and Saffron is coming up next.

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Voldemort waited patiently in his throne room for the arrival of his newest allies. His spies at Hogwarts, and the new addition of one of the 'famed' martial artists that Dumbledore thought would give him an advantage, advised him that the being he was waiting for was one of the most powerful in the world. Even the werewolves and other dark creatures he'd managed to convince to join him were terrified of the coming ally. It was said that he was a true immortal, and a full non-human, unlike vampires, lycans and others, who where half-breeds.

His Inner Circle were standing just at the bottom step of the raised dais for his throne. They were masked and standing stalk still, as he always required them to do when in uniform. He didn't care how they behaved when he was not in their presence, so long as they followed the few rules he placed. Simple, direct rules. Kill and Torture Mudbloods. Treat half-breeds as equals until the war was over, then kill them. No fighting amongst themselves. HIS word is LAW. Fail and suffer the consequences.

Other then these few simple rules, he let them do as they wished so long as they were not foolish enough to get so out of control that they would fail to heed his call when he wanted their presence. He was a little stricter on the newer and lesser ranking recruits and was seriously considering starting a ranking system since he could hardly be bothered to learn the names of all his servants. Having a rank to call them by might make it easier to assign tasks to the various minor factions that they thought they hid from him. He was well aware that even though they all served him, they also had their own ambitions and inter rank loyalties.

Ranking them would also make it clear in their minds that he valued skill and talent as well as age and experience. A few examples during a audience on some of the long time serving members to demonstrate how little individual loyalty mattered in the face of failure, and they would scramble to perform their best in order to not only avoid his displeasure but to earn greater privileges and power by rising in the ranks.

Perhaps his new ally would have some advice that might be of use in this regard. He had kept a standing army for some centuries now, after all, and was quite adapt at warfare. It was a common misconception, one that he encouraged, among his enemies that he refused to take criticism or advice from his servants. Unlike that foolish Dumbledore and the idiot Ministry, however, he was well aware of his own weakness, those few that remained, and sought constantly to turn them into strengths or to overcome them. If one of his servants created a plan of quality, he was not foolish enough to turn it down simply because it came from someone other then himself. And before he announced a plan to the general group of servants, he would often go over them with the various few of his Inner Circle to see if they could find flaws. He didn't punish any who found flaws, but if they approved a plan and failed in their part of said plan, then they did suffer his wrath.

The immense double doors at the other end of the room opened swiftly and silently and two of the most beautiful woman he'd ever laid eyes on strode through, half drawn weapons evident as they paused a dozen steps in and scanned the room. Though he was beyond such concerns now, he briefly though of asking for their service, and held a moments regret for the particular ritual that had rendered the mundane pleasures of the flesh a thing of the past. He had enjoyed the company of women, before coming to the conclusion that even that tenuous connection he held with the women he took to his bed was weakening him and found a series of rituals that increased his power, but the cost was that he would no longer react to the touch of another living being. The only pleasure he felt now was in the pain and death of others.

The women finished scanning the room and took another dozen steps before dropping to one knee facing each other. Other women, and the oddly misshapen form entered the room and copied the pair, kneeling in supplication until a pair of huge, gray-skinned, long tusked individuals looking like nothing more then a pair of elephants walking on two legs entered and took their place. Once this final pair was in place, there was a flicker of light in the darkness beyond the opening of the door.

Soon the flicker was a steady wavering flame that grew larger and more intense. Within seconds, you could make out a vaguely human shaped figure stepping through the flames. The figure proved to be that of a man, albeit one with large feathered wings sprouting from his back. This was hardly unique several of the guards who'd just entered were winged, and even long before them, Voldemort had long known such creatures as harpies and sphinx.

The man, since there wasn't another term he felt comfortable using, was tall, with flame gold hair, angular, orange eyes, a strong, peaked nose, and arrogant cast to his face. His bearing was straight and tight, showing no sign of weakness. His entire body language screamed out that he held no fear of anything, and that he was Lord of all he saw. It set a twinge of anger and worry through Voldemort, but the no longer quite human wizard didn't even acknowledge the thoughts. Instead, he stood and stepped down from the dais, deciding to treat this being as an equal. For he could feel the power radiating off the man, who's wings twitched in the slight breeze of the room.

"Greetings, Lord Saffron of the Phoenix People. I am Lord Voldemort, leader of the patriotic group known as Death Eaters. I extend my greetings and respect to one who is obviously used to much more eloquent gifts."

Saffron sneered as he studied the other figures in the room. He cared little for the fools greetings and for his servants. He had no interest in them. he was only here because he could no longer stomach being a slave to the whim of that damned Saotome and his foolish council. This alliance with Voldemort served two purposes for him: It would allow him to gain his revenge on Saotome for their battle that destroyed the mountain, and give him enough strength and manpower to return to the ancestral home and wipe out the annoying PRA. Other then that, he wanted nothing to do with the mundanes running this part of the world. Let them kill each other in battle, that would leave the survivors weak and tired of war. Then once the PRA was gone, he could turn his army to the west and take what that fool Khan and others had failed in taking. If only Khan had listened to him once taking the throne as he had when he'd been a boy, perhaps his descendants would be sitting on a throne of jade and blood now, instead of dead and lost to time.

"Greetings, Lord Voldemort. Your name and tales of your deeds have reached even the ears of my court. Your quest to wipe out the mundanes of the world and instill a rule of the powerful suits our goals admirably. I look forward to working with you. And as for Saotome and his agents, you have nothing to fear. I have gathered together those who hold grudges against the youth and his allies. At least those powerful enough to be of use. As for those too weak, well they've been dealt with, AFTER I learned the few useful bits of knowledge they had." Saffron stated, his voice gravelly and rough, like stones scratching each other.

Voldemort matched the slight smirk on Saffron's face with one of his own. He was not fooled by the words spoken, as he could see into the Phoenix Lord's mind quite easily. He had his own plans for the creature once his own was no longer needed. And he had no doubt that the Phoenix had a suspicion of his own motivations, if no actual proof. This was a temporary alliance at best, and both knew it. Neither would be fooled by other's platitudes, and would do their best to position themselves and their own servants in the best place to take advantage of the other. They knew how far they could trust each other and where to keep from crossing the line against each other. Each was convinced of their own superiority and immortality. They would work together until their common enemies were defeated, and then finish off whatever remained of the others followers.

But that was for the future and another date. For now, they had plans to make and information to exchange.

Soon the world would ring with the cries of the death of their victims.


	25. Section 25

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 25 of Magic vs. MA.

Let's see... What's next? Summer season at work is over, so I have more time and energy to be writing. I had done a few ch's but I had a disk read error and lost 7ch of several of my stories in early July and I haven't had time/energy/drive to write them over.

Okay. I'm sure by now, most of the repeat readers will have noticed that my chapters tend to include two or three subsections. This is no different.

I tried the little blurbs last time, but no one seems to like them. which I found odd. But, since no one liked them except me, I guess I have to stop ... hey wait a minute it's my story and if I want them in, then I'll put them in, damn it!

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Ranma was beginning to get worried. He hadn't heard from Nabiki in nearly two weeks and she was usually pretty prompt on replying when he mailed her. She'd never gone more then a week to reply to a letter he wrote. He wondered what was delaying her. And he'd noted that the Umbridge woman had been getting over her fear of him and started issuing some more of her silly decrees. She'd even started picking on Gryffindor students again, assigning detentions that were out of line with the false infractions she was accusing them off doing. She'd been especially harsh on Harry, assigning the young man a series of detentions.

She'd even assigned Ryoga and Taro detentions when she'd taken over their charms class. She'd thrown Ranma and Akane a number of harsh looks, but hadn't worked up the nerve to go after either of them just yet, though Ranma knew it was only a matter of time. She'd been oddly pleasant to the other teachers, though he'd occasionally catch a sly, scheming look on her face. She was planning something, something big and he was worried about what it could be.

He needed to talk to Nabiki. She was better suited for this kind of thing then he was. He was a head on kind of guy, and this subtle struggling stuff was out of his league. He'd have to find a way to get to a phone or computer. Maybe during the next Hogsmead weekend. There was one this coming Saturday. He and Akane could slip out and fly to the nearest non-wizarding village and see if they had a phone or public computer he could access in order to get through to her. She always had her Palmtop and cell phone with her.

He cleared his head of the thoughts and went back to focusing on the teacher. Surprisingly, Professor Snape was a somewhat better teacher then Harry and his friends had indicated. He seemed to be doing his best to insure that all the students in the class were capable of both attack and defensive spells of a level suited to their abilities. He had shown no favoritism to any of the students or houses, and had clear and concise with his instructions. He'd gone out of his way to explain the why's and how's of each spells and not just throw the steps on the board as Ranma had been told he did in the potions classroom. Ranma was doing better in this class then any of the others except the Acupuncture course.

The class finished and Ranma gathered his things, feeling a little left out. Akane had been doing even better then he in their make up courses and was now up to the same level as Harry and his friends. He was still in with the 2nd year students for most classes, though he'd been moved up to third year for Defense Against Dark Arts and to 6th for the Acupuncture courses. Akane was pretty much in 5th year for all her courses, except potions which she was sill with Ranma in 2nd year. Her problems with cooking were carrying over to potions class, no matter how many times that Khu Lon tried to get her to understand that potions was nothing more then chemistry with different ingredients. Akane had done well in regular chemistry courses, but she just wasn't able to translate that over to cooking or potions.

He bid farewell to the people he knew in the class as he felt it more important for him plan his trip then go to the flying class. He'd already proved that he could do anything that Hooch could do an a broom, and he'd also shown that he could do those same tricks without a broom.

He reached his and Akane's room and entered, dropping his books on the table near the fireplace and going directly towards the washroom. He wiped off his face and hands and then left, going to fix himself a light snack before lunch. Akane was in extra study session with Khu Lon right now and wouldn't be back until lunch started. They'd recently started having lunch in their quarters with only Kasumi and Tofu, as Kasumi's pregnancy had made it difficult for her to be in the rather aromatic hall during the communal meals.

This gave him an hour to relax before his wife and in-laws came by. Just enough time to do a little meditation and allow the idea that was tickling his mind to come into the forefront.

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Shampoo frowned and slid deeper into the shadows as yet another of her allies evil Soul sucking creatures passed by in the hall. She repressed a shiver of fear as the mindless beast passed by. Once it was gone, she resumed her silent trek towards the place she was to meet her new ally and his associates. She hated this dark dank place and wished for warmer, friendly environments. She might be taking the steps leading her to the ultimate evils of her tribe, but that didn't mean she shouldn't be comfortable and warm while planning her evil deeds. She'd never understood why so many of these western masters of evil always seemed to choose caves, cemeteries, and other dark and chilly places for their lairs. Why couldn't they make their lairs in a nice warm hotel or mansion instead of rundown mansions or crumbling castles?

She'd been working on various plans to punish Ranma and have the blame shifted to members of the Slytherin house, or perhaps Taro and Ryoga, when one of the Dark Lord's lackeys at the school had approached her and advised her of this meeting .She had set her plans aside and left straightaway. She'd biked into the village of Hogsmead from the school castle and there met another lackey who'd brought her to a secret meeting place in the bad part of the village. From there, they had first flooed (how she hated having that damn ash in her luscious hair)to a place in Knockturn Alley. From there they then aparated to Malfoy Manner, and then flown to Little Haggleton and taken a hidden entrance into Voldemort's ancestral home. It had been sold off several generations before the half-blood wizard's birth as his family line had several issues with money that lead them to waste their ancient treasury to nothing. Oddly enough, the family home had in a way remained in the family passing from his wizarding ancestors to his non-wizarding ancestors over the course of 4 generations. It had been renamed from the Gaunt Estates to Riddle Manor in that time.

From there her escort had left her and returned to his other tasks, leaving her to rind her way to Lord Voldemort's throne room in the old ball room. The castle like structure was infested with his servants, both human and non human alike. And the Soul-Suckers, which the westerners called Dementors paroled throughout the castle, seeking intruders for to feast upon.

She wondered what was so urgent about this meeting. Voldemort was not one to withdrew people from Hogwarts, having great need of inside information on the actions of the staff and students. Especially that Potter boy and the Headmaster. She hadn't had much chance to follow either as the Headmaster seemed to disappear into his office which was impossible to find let alone enter, and the Potter boy spent most of his time with Ranma and his friends. This would normally not have been a problem, as she could simply have gone and done her Bimbo act, pouncing on him and irritating the Tendo girl, but Ranma had been training the girl, and though she could still beat her, she knew that doing so would simply anger Ranma. She needed to appear as a friend for now. It was not yet time to show her true strength and ambition.

So she continued to avoid Ranma and his followers, playing instead at being too busy with catching up to the others in her 'house' to spend time chasing him. She also subtly wormed her way into the confidence of other Slytherin students, learning as much as she could about the social background of the school. She'd learned that a large portion of the Slithering were not on the path to darkness, simply that they were ambitious and attracted to power. They neither supported nor condemned the Dark Lord and other dark wizards. They simply wanted to work each side to get the best advantage for themselves from both sides. She also managed to get them to give her their observations of the other houses, and especially where it concerned Potter and his allies.

She entered the large room and studied the crowd of Death eaters. She had to withhold her sneer as she opened her senses and drew in the taste of their auras. Most here were weak and barely strong enough to light a candle, as far as her Amazon history was concerned. She'd learned more dangerous spells then they knew when she was barely out of her diapers. But she'd then started focussing more on martial arts, as he'd seen more potential for glory as the tribes War Mistress then as the oft scorned and ridiculed Shaman.

She had kept up some of her gifts, but had not bothered with most magic beyond the potions and brews that she'd been taught to concoct. She looked towards the throne like chair upon the raised area that had once been used to house string quartets and other entertainers when the mansion had been in better repair. Lord Voldemort was sitting in court over his Death Eaters who were telling him of various missions they'd gone on under his command. From where she was standing, he seemed to be slouching slightly as though bored with the proceedings.

She shoved her way through the throng, dropping her cloak and ignoring the appreciative and curious, as well as the angry, glances turned towards her. She reached the space before the dais and kneeled, hating every second of the submissive gesture but knowing that she needed to be a good little servant for now. Once she'd freed her people and destroyed Ranma, taking his power for her own, then she'd punish the foolish patriarchal world for their treatment of her beloved Amazon nation.

"I come Lord Voldemort as summoned." she stated in as docile a voice as she could manage.

"Ah, Xian Pu of the Amazons. It is always a bright mark on the day when you are in our presence. I have summoned you in order to introduce our newest ally. Though I have heard that you are already acquainted with him somewhat."

A side door swung open and a cloaked figure came striding through. The cloak did nothing to hide the beings identity as Xian could feel the waves of power and heat that could only come from one being. She felt a moments hesitation, not sure of how she should react to the presence of the Phoenix Lord. Then waved her feelings off with contempt. She had been another for nor against the Phoenix Lord during his conflict with Saotome, and had done more to aid his cause then hinder it. It was the fault of his henchmen and aids that he had lost and been forced to undergo a rebirth.

Saffron tossed back the hood of the cloak and stared down arrogantly at her. His attitude annoyed Xian, but she set her feelings aside for now. She could punish him later as well.

"Xian Pu of the Amazon nation, you know who I am.." he stated, his voice seeming to crackle with an inner flame. "I remember you from your time under the spell of the Kikomi egg. It is unfortunate that I did not get a chance to enjoy your company during our first encounter. But I am pleased to note that you have not fallen under the spell of the damned Saotome like so many other unfortunate females."

Xian snorted. "Saotome is not worthy of Xian Pu. Is not man enough to be Xian's husband. Too stubborn and pigheaded, like all non Amazon men. Only good thing is his strength, but that wasted because he too nice. Has no understanding of what to really do with power he is given. But we fix that soon. We take his power and use it for right purpose of restoring us back to our homes and destroying the PRA and all who are enemies."

Saffron studied her for a moment and then there was a slight quirk of his lips. He understood exactly what she was proposing to do after they had destroyed Ranma and their alliance with the wizard was at an end. An alliance with the newly formed Amazon nation would do his people well. He'd only managed to take about 300 Phoenix warriors with him, as well as about a dozen Musk, and maybe a hundred Amazons. If he wanted to regain control of the rest of his people he would need the help of powerful warriors and the cunning minds of Amazon warriors. And he was well aware that Xian Pu was the strongest and most cunning of the current generation of Amazons.

She had, after all, fooled the renowned Khu Lon, Honored Grandmother of the Jokoketsu into believing that she was nothing more then a bubbly airhead who was enthralled with the damn fool who had interrupted his birthing ceremony and forced him to be reborn as an infant when he should have stepped into his full powers. Luckily, once he got past the toddler stage, he was able to use his magic to force his growth to adolescence and then properly undergo the birthing ceremony. So now he was at his full power, at least ten times the power level head been during his first battle with the Saotome boy. He'd been hiding his power since the news reached him that Saotome had managed to survive the Gift of the Cold Dragon and taken dragon form so as to lull the mortal into a false sense of superiority.

He would accept Xian Pu's offer and aid, more then willing to accept her terms, which he new even if she'd never stated them. Xian Pu herself was only a mortal, no matter how long lived she might eventually become, and once she died, any treaties or agreements between them would be null and void. He could wait. He was immortal, unlike the rest of the fools he was dealing with.

"Tell me more of what you have learned about Potter and his allies." Voldemort ordered, missing most of the subtext of the conversation between his two allies, but not liking the way they had excluded him by speaking in their native dialects. If not for the standard translation regularly cast on the hall, he would not have been able to follow anything of their conversation.

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Harry and his friends were in the middle of yet another great lesson with Sirius when the news came. Sirius had just shown them a powerful blasting spell that was 7th year standard when the two Aurors who had been acting as his 'guard' entered the room and disrupted the lesson. The usually grim faced men, both hulking brutes of a size seemingly more suited to a professional wrestler then an Auror, were smiling wildly and holding out a large parchment before them. Each had their wands out, and the blond haired one was also holding a set of heavy looking manacles.

"What do you bloody gits want?" Sirius asked in his scratchy voice. He had replaced his wand into the wrist holster on his left arm. His arms were crossed before him and he learned back on the edge of his desk, a picture of relaxation and contentedness.

The dark haired one growled and held up the parchment. "I wouldn't be so rude if I were you Black." he spit out the last word like it was the most foul curse he could utter. "This here states that you are to be rearrested and held in chambers until an escort team arrives to take you back to the Ministry to undergo questioning in regards to your crimes."

Sirius barked a laugh and raised an eyebrow. "And what crimes would these be, Williams?"

"The crimes are numerous and extensive, but here's a short list. 1-being an illegal and unlisted animagi, 2-inciting others to become illegal animagi in the persons of James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, 3-possesion of banned and regulated books on the art of becoming animagi, 4-conspiracy to hide from Ministry Aurors in animagi form to name a few. You are to be placed under house arrest while these charges are investigated, as are the charges of the death of Peter Pettigrew and 13 muggles that you were initially jailed for. Should you be found guilty of these and other charges you will be sentenced to a period of 20 years in Azkaban, of which the 13 years you served will be counted towards. At the end of the remaining time, you will received the Dementor's Kiss for the deaths that have resulted as of your actions of support towards You-Know-Who, and his Death Eaters. In order for the Ministry to find the truth, all of your assets will be frozen and held until such a time as you are either cleared of the charges or found guilty, in which case they shall be forfeit to the families of your victims. All items purchased and obtained by you since your escape using your illegal animagi form of a large Grim-like dog shall also be impounded. Included in these lists of assets are one Firebolt broom currently belonging to Harry James Potter, and the deed to the Shrieking Shack located in Hogsmead village. You are to surrender your wand to us and come quietly, or we are authorized to use force."

Sirius looked for a moment like he was going to object, but then he caught sight of Harry swinging his wand towards the two Aurors with a look of rage on his face and calmed down. He couldn't resist, as that would allow the gits to try and force his obedience, and that would cause Harry to try and defend him, and then Harry's friends would step in as well, and all would be arrested for attacking an Auror and for interfering in a just arrest. Even if the arrest was a farce. He caught Harry's eyes and shook his head. Harry looked to refuse to obey him, so he put some force into his glare and shook his head. Harry frowned and threw him a questioning look, which he answered with a silent 'Later.' Once Harry nodded and replaced his wand in his pocket (I really should get the boy a good holster. I'd hate to hear what Moody would say seeing him do that, he thought to himself), he again looked at the guards.

"Well, I guess I'll need to go along with you gits for now. But you won't find anything since I didn't kill Pettigrew or those muggles. Pettigrew is alive, only your wanker of a Minister refused to admit what's as plain as the nose on that arse he calls a face. Voldemort is back, buckos and you have bigger fish to fry then little old me."

"Stuff the nonsense, Black. Hand over your wand." the blond stated, his own wand pointed at the gaunt man. Neither of the two walking boulders hat noticed the silent conversation between Sirius Black and his famous godchild.

Sirius chuckled and slowly removed his holster from his arm. It was an older model compared to the sleek hyper pocketed ones of today. This one had been a gift from James for Sirius' passing of his OWLs. He removed his wand, a 9.5 inch knobby Ash from a tree in the colony's with, appropriately enough, a powdered Grim's fang core. He handed the wand to the blonde, and turned to face the class. "Now I want you all to continue to practice those spells I was teaching and those I had on the lesson plan I gave you. Harry, take this and wear it proud. Your father gave it to me for beating the OWL's and I'm proud to pass it to you. I also want you to have the notebook on my desk. It has a few little surprises in it. You should be able to pick them up and pass them on to your study group." He gave Harry a wink as he tossed him the hydra scale arm holster. "It's spelled, but you know the passwords." He then turned and held his arms out for the guards who slipped the manacles on. When one of the guards made to grab the book, Harry reacted quickly and summoned it to him, glaring defiantly at the guard.

The guard made a move towards Harry as though to forcefully take the book, but found himself on the bad end of more then a dozen wands, including Harry's own. The guard might have been dim, but he wasn't a fool. He, like others in his branch, had been at Hogwarts as a guard during the TriWizard Tournament, and he knew how dangerous an opponent Harry could be. And with a few months of training under Black, a potentially dangerous criminal and Death Eater, who knew what they could accomplish. He might be able to take three or four, but certainly not all of them. He lowered his wand and backed away, glaring at Harry who returned his glare with one more suited to someone several decades older and more experienced. The look of anger and restrained power in Potter's eyes was enough to make him think that perhaps his boss was wrong about Dumbledore and others exaggerating Potter's power.

"Careful, Potter. I'd hate to have to arrest you for Interference in Ministry matters. Give me the book, it is evidence in Black's complicity in these and other crimes." the man stated arrogantly.

Harry snorted and slid the book behind him. "This book has nothing in it to prove anyone guilty of anything. It's simply a guidebook like any other you get at Flourish & Botts. Here, take a look." While the book had been behind his back, Ron had tapped it and whispered the words of the spell to disguise it's true nature that he'd learned during his adventures with Harry after Harry had received the Marauders map. Harry brought out the book and passed it to the Auror, who skimmed through it and snorted at the title and material inside. The book was titled 'For a Good Defense, you need a Good Offense: A guide to strong Offensive DADA spells useful for All Wizards and Witches.' Inside were about 200 various spells, mostly attack spells, but there were a few shields and offensive Defense spells later in the book. In fact the book was quite well known and it was considered a good prep book for people wanting to become Aurors. He'd had to study it himself, though he'd been a good four years older then these students. He handed the book back and turned to his partner, indicating the door.

The pair left without another word, leaving the class wondering what was going to happen now with the course.

It was only seconds later that Ron's hand came up and slapped himself in the head and he started muttering an impressive list of swears under his breath.

Hermione smacked him in the head and looked annoyed, though it was hard to keep a straight face at Ron's crestfallen expression. "Ronald, watch your language." she stated as sternly as she could, though her fondness for the red haired youth leaked through her every word and body language. "What's wrong?" she asked when he stopped and glared ineffectively at her.

"Blimey, Hermione, don't you know what they just said means?"

"Yes Ronald, it means that Sirius is likely going back to Azkaban and get the Kiss, and that Harry has lost his godfather." she stated primly.

Ron sighed and shook his head. "No, not that. They're taking Harry's broom. That means he'll have to either borrow someone from another house's or one of the school brooms. And as good a seeker as Harry is, his advantage has always been in having the best broom on the field. Now when we play our game against Slytherin, Malfoy will have the advantage of a faster broom."

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances and then chuckled lightly. Trust Ron's obsession with Quidditch to show them a lighter side of bad news.

Harry was about to say something when the door opened again and 'Professor' Umbridge entered the room, a hideous smiled on her wide face. "Greetings class, it's good to see you are all well and that Black ahs not harmed any of you. As you know, former Professor Black is a wanted criminal who has perpetuated many crimes against the Ministry and the population of Great Britain. As such he is no longer associated with the school. For this reason, I shall now be taking over his class. I assume you all have the Standard Book of Spells, Grade 5? Yes, good. Put away your wands and take you seats. Now, turn to page 117 and read the next three chapters. Homework for the next class is a roll and a half of parchment on identifying the various breeds of werewolves and how to destroy each." She moved up to the desk and sat, pulling out a larch roll of parchment that she began to read. A sound from the rows caused her to raise her wrinkled head.

"Yes, Ms. Patil, what is it?" she asked in a tone of voice meant to show her displeasure at the interruption.

"Er, sorry Ma'am, but aren't we going to work on the spells we've been learning? This is DADA, shouldn't this assignment be better for Charms or history or CoMc?" The Ravenclaw of the pair asked as politely and gently as she could.

"I have studied the results of your previous teachers, Ms. Patil, and have come to the conclusion that their methods of teaching have corrupted you. So I am bringing you all back to basics. There will now be no spell-casting in this course. You will study the books, and each week there will be a test on the assigned works. The tests will be written works, not practical. You will describe the wand movements for the spells shown on the tests, as well as the proper incantation of the spell. No actual spell casting will take place. is that understood?" she glared over the students.

"What the bloody hell do you mean we won't actually be doing any spells?" demanded Harry rising from his seat. His scar throbbed painfully, but he ignored it.

"Mr. Potter, if you do not sit down this instant, you will be banned from this class. As it is for swearing at a teacher, you are docked 45 points from Gryffindor, and are banned from participating in the Quidditch team." she beamed internally as she saw the look of shock and desolation cross Potter's face. "You might be Dumbledore's favorite, and have been given great leeway in the past, Mr. Potter, but in my class room, you will do what I say how I say, or you will be punished. Is that understood?"

Harry was quivering with anger, trying desperately to remain in control of his anger. He was fighting the urge to whip out his wand and start hexing and cursing the old witch. He was loosing the battle, but Hermione and Ron placed restraining grips on his hands and he glanced at them in irritation before allowing his anger to cool. He nodded his thanks to his friends and turned a frosty glare on the source of his rage. "Listen you old bat, I don't give a shite what you say. Voldemort is back whether that tosser Fudge want's to admit it or not and we NEED to learn more if we are to protect ourselves from him and his lackeys. Death Eaters aren't really anything special, they just use spells that no decent person would want to use on another human being. In order to stay alive against them we need to learn more them simple Protego and banishing charms. We need to learn spells with real power behind them, and Sirius Black was teaching us those spells. We also needs to actually cast some of the spells since just knowing the movements and words won't do much when we need to use them against a Death Eater with decades of experience."

"That is enough, Mr. Potter. I will not have you spreading those rumors and lies in my class room. You will report each night for detention after your last class for the next three weeks. You will also come in on Saturday and Sunday as well. I am docking you a further 50 points from Gryffindor, and am widening your ban to include all Quidditch related activities. You are no longer permitted to attend the games and are banned from pitch side during games. You can not do anything to aid the Gryffindor team and this means no coming up with plays, no training of players, no giving tips or information about other teams. If I catch you doing any of the above, I will dock your house 100pts for each infraction, as well as a months worth of detention." She glared at Harry, who could feel his anger rising up again as she continued to speak. "Now, you are banned from this class for the next two weeks, though I expect you to have the assignments done and handed in through one of your house mates. The Dark Lord is dead, Potter, and you above all should know this is so. The Death Eater that are acting out are simply a small group of misinformed and misguided fools seeking attention because of their rather pedestrian lives. There is no war brewing and there is no chance of You know Who returning. He was defeated somehow by you yourself Potter, when you were but a year old. And while we are all grateful for his defeat, you can not expect us ALL to simply bow down at your feet and obey ever whim you have. Your detentions will be to write the line 'I will no spread baseless rumors' for the length of the detention. Now, gather your belonging and leave this room. And if I hear of any one practicing any of the spells I will punish you Potter, so make sure your fellow students understand the gravity of my words. When I say no one cast any spells, I mean no one casts ANY spells. Understood?"

Gritting his teeth, Harry nodded and grabbed up his things. He acknowledged Ron and Hermione's looks with a nod and strode proudly out of the room. He was more determined then ever to increase the HarHarTu meetings, and now that he no longer was involved in the regular curriculum of the DADA course, he could spend that time coming up with lessons for the HarHarTu group. They were working on the Patronus Charm on an ongoing basis, but few had yet to master it. All could cast all least a powerful mist, and most a corporeal form Patronus. The main problem was that there were only a few who could do so easily while most struggled and took way too long to cast the charm. Still with the new book from Sirius, he should be able to get even the slowest learners up to at least EE level for the OWLs, NEWTs and FOWLs, depending on their year.

And when he finished the lesson planning, he could try and figure out a way to help Sirius. he'd already lost his Godfather twice, he wasn't going to loose him a third time. Even if he had to break every law and rule in England.

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A nice, long chapter for an update. It took me 3 shifts at work to write this all out. I started on a Friday, did a fair amount Sat, and the majority on Sunday. We moved over to 12 hour shifts on Sat and Sun this weekend of Sept 24th 2005, so on those shifts, I'll have lost of time to write. Expect more regular updates on all my stories, though there are some I'm more focussed on at the moment then others. Which is only natural, but I am working on ALL of them, even if it doesn't seem like it from lack of updates.


	26. Section 26

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

Here's chapter 26 of Magic vs. MA.

This one is going to be fun to write. There's a field trip to London from 2 different groups, a Death Eater attack, and hopefully lots more. Should be fun.

Okay, lot's of talk in early part of chapter, plans being made that kind of thing. Then some good stuff later on. Hope to get to do a DE attack soon. Oh and communication problems also soon to be solved.

I tried the little blurbs last time, but no one seems to like them. which I found odd. But, since no one liked them except me, I guess I have to stop ... hey wait a minute it's my story and if I want them in, then I'll put them in, damn it!

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Everyone had gathered in the Room of Requirement at Harry's urging. The only people absent were Xian Pu, who no one had been able to find, and Mu Tsu, who had declined, sighting a desire to keep his eye on some of the more troublesome members of the Slytherin house. It seems that there were some who were using the lessons he and Xian were sharing with them to bully the weaker students for various favors. Mu Tsu had decided to hang around the common room as often as possible so as to limit the damage the bullies were able to inflict.

The room looked like a small version of the Gryffindor common room, since it was Harry that had shown the rest how to enter. He was currently sitting next to Luna on a large chair/small couch that was facing several such furnishings facing each other in a circle around a round table piled with foodstuffs. The others were arranged as they felt comfortable in the chairs. Hermione was sitting in Ron's lap, her face holding a slight blush as Ron whispered occasionally in her ear. Ginny was sitting between Taro and Ryoga, throwing admiring glances at the pair of powerful young men. Her face was nearly as flushed as Hermione's, and she shifted every so often to rub against the pair on her sides. Ryoga was fighting a blush and nosebleed from the girl's actions, and Taro would look down at her every so often and smirk, as though he knew what his nearness was doing to her.

Khu Long was seated on a high chair of appropriate dignity for her size and position. Smoke curled around her as she took occasional puffs on her long pipe. In the seat next to her, a proud but worried Tofu sat next to his very visibly pregnant wife, more concerned with her health then the current political situation. Kasumi indulged his worry with gentle smiles that were only enhanced by her maternal glow. Every so often her hand would move to caress the growing swell of her stomach and the life contained within and the aura of love she projected would increase tenfold.

Akane was twisting a blanket in her hands as she fretted silently in her seat. Her eyes were following Ranma as her husband paced the room. Ranma was so frustrated and annoyed with the situation that he was leaking ki at alarming rate and he had to use it in some manner or risk blasting Umbridge into the atmosphere. So his pacing included the occasional walk up the wall and across the ceiling and down the other side of the room as he subconsciously used his ki to defy the laws of gravity. It was that or spend a few hours sending ki blasts into the sky. He'd probably have to go dragon later and spend a few hours flying around the country side.

"So I was wondering if there's anything you can do about this? I mean, you got her to back off a bit last time, but it didn't stick." Harry asked, leaning back in the plush chair. He closed his eyes and allowed some of the tension to ease out of him when Luna's soft hands started kneading the muscles in his neck and shoulders. He was spending more and more time with Luna, and finding out that she was even more interesting then the odd mannerisms she showed to others. She was bright, nearly as smart as Hermione, and was one of the quickest to grasp the lessons in HarHarTu. So quick that she was now helping him to plan lessons and teach the others. When she relaxed and felt comfortable with some one, she could be quick charming. And without those overly large owlish glasses, she was quite attractive. Harry blinked his eyes open and fought the soothing nature of the massage being given to him to pay more attention to the others and any ideas they had about the newest problems.

Ranma sighed and stalked over, sitting next to Akane. He glared at the table and the assorted foods laying there. "I don't know what else to do. It was pretty clear that if I try anything against her, it would cause the Ministry to have us ousted from Hogwarts and exiled back to Angwan. There's nothing we can do here to stop her."

Kasumi spoke next. "Maybe that's the problem then, Ranma. If you can't do anything from here, and they are blocking our mail, then they are interfering with OUR home. You are the leader of a nation Ranma, and tied to the Imperial house of Japan. By halting and blocking your mail, they are breaking long standing treaties on the treatment of diplomats. By international law, both Wizard and Muggle, any representative of a foreign nation is to be given full and complete access, unhindered or monitored, to their councils and leaders at home. You have every right to confront them and demand that they stop blocking your mail from getting through. You might not be able to stop them from blocking or reading the students mail, but your, and our mail should be untouched."

Ranma frowned. This whole leading a nation thing was very uncomfortable for him. It was why he had his mother and Nabiki helping him out back home. They took care of all that stuff, and he signed his name to whatever they came up with. He trusted them to make sure he didn't sign anything that was potentially harmful to anyone, though when it was explained that he had signed a document that legalized duels to the death, and public executions for certain vile crimes, he'd disappeared into the mountains for a week. It had taken a combination of Akane's seduction and Haabu and Ryoga's brute force to drag him back to civilization.

"So what do you think I should do? It's not like I can bring them to Angwan and throw them in jail, right?"

"No, but you can go in person and suggest that if they don't stop interfering, then you will be forced to pull all diplomatic relations with Britain and the European Councils. And as you know, the Emperor has publicly stated since the ceremony of Angwan's inception that he will do everything in his power to help you in any way. I didn't realize it at the time, but now that I think about, I realize that some of his message was meant to assure the Wizarding population of the world that you were not to be trifled with. While the British and other European nations might hide the Wizarding population away, it's not the case in most of the world. In most Asian countries, magic is not only accepted as real but is considered a valued commodity and natural resource. I know that in China, real wizards and witches are considered above the rest of the population, and given special judiciary powers allowing any wizard or witch to act as Judge, Jury, and Executioner as long as they qualified with the PRA.

It was this that was a major factor in the Amazons, Musk and Phoenix being more then willing to abandoned their ancient homelands when you and Haabu raised Angwan, Ranma. They knew that while they could likely find a way around the more mundane but powerful weaponry of the so called normal people that they would have difficulty fighting off a wizarding population that is likely the highest in the entire world. I know that in America, it's kind of passed off as being other things. Like mutants or aliens and the like. No one really makes an effort ot hide what they can do, but they don't really come out and do anything really spectacular in public. If YOU went to America, Ranma, they'd likely consider you as some type of mutant. Like the Xmen or some one similar. They wouldn't understand that you got to where you are by the sheer amount of effort and willpower you possess.

What the Emperor did after you raised the islands Ranma was give you legitimacy in the Western world by acknowledging you as a separate nation with all rights and legal gifts granted to any nation in the world community. He basically told the rest of the world that while you weren't a part of Japan, you were still under Japanese protection. Much like the US has with Puerto Rico, except we have more leeway in making our own laws and customs. I know that doesn't really matter to you, Ranma, but for the rest of the world it's a big issue. You are the head of the nation, elected as King over the Three Tribes. The rest of the world might simply consider them mutants, but you know that they are so much more then that. And as head of a nation, even a democratic monarchy, you have certain powers in the world community. The European nations can't afford to do too much to annoy you and have you abandon them as they know that doing so risks their loosing the support of the Japanese government. And losing the Japanese would pressure the other nations to choose sides against each other, bring the economies to a grinding halt. With the diamond 'mines' you and Haabu found and Nabiki was able to claim for us, we are suddenly a very wealthy nation, and everyone wants to be your friend. They know that they might need our wealth and special talents if those with special 'gifts' start revolting or rising against the established governments."

It took a few moments for the words to rearrange themselves to make sense in Ranma's mind and while he thought, he stood and paced again. "So what you're saying is that I have the political power to get the British Ministry to do what I want. At least where it concerns me and any citizens of Angwan. They have no standing to block our contact with the government back home and that by doing so, they are breaking international laws and treaties and that if I make a fuss, other nations would have to step in and force them to do what they should be doing: Leaving us alone? But that unless Harry was a citizen of Angwan, I can't really do anything about how they are treating him?"

Kasumi smiled, pride tinting her voice when she replied. "That's exactly right, little brother. They have no right to block your mail. We can't force them to rescind the rules against their own people, but they don't have standing to hinder you in any way. If they want, they can force us to leave, but then they risk your giving financial help to people who aren't in the current government."

"That still doesn't tell me what I need to do to get their attention! All the mail is being blocked and we aren't able to get messages out either. The only thing I can think of is flying to London myself and storming in to see this Fudge person face to face." Ranma collapsed again next to Akane, who squeezed his shoulder and leaned in for a hug.

"So that's what you should do then." stated Ron, his face buried in Hermione's hair. He shifted his girlfriend to the side and leaned forward. "Listen up, mate. Fudge is an idiot, and a liar, but he's also somewhat of a coward. If you face him in person, he'll back down fast. Especially if you mention that there's an election coming up and that you might back his opponent. Fudge doesn't really care about anything except being Minister and the influence that gives him. Threaten to take him out of that position, and he'll do anything you ask to remain on your good side."

"How do I do that? I don't know anything about Fudge or the Wizard politics. I just barely understand what's going on at home and in Japan, never mind a country on the other side of the world."

"Here's what you should do. How many can you carry in dragon form?"

"A few. Not everyone here if I wanted to fly very far, but Akane and I once flew from Nerima to Jhusenkyo and back in a few hours. For a short flight, I've never really tried to carry lots of people. Just Akane really. Oh, and my mom a few times just to show her what it's like for me now."

"Okay, so you take 1 or two people with you. Harry should go, since he knows Fudge, and despite what Fudge was saying and implying in the Prophet about Harry being daft, he knows he can't do anything too public against him. While most might not like to believe that You-know-who is back, they do fear that he WILL return one day. And everyone thinks that if he does, that only Harry would be able to stop him. So if Fudge does anything to harm Harry, then there'll be a lot of angry people heading into the vote. And Harry is pretty good at magic too, so if Fudge does try something, he could help you out that way."

"Okay, so Harry's in. Who else should come?"

"Now, I would think you'd want to bring some one you know and trust to back you up in your area of specialty. Kasumi can't go because . . . well every one knows why. And Tofu needs to stay here for her. Akane can't go since you are, and one of you needs to stay and both keep an eye on the toad and teach the Martial arts lessons. I wouldn't be of much help, and don't really want to risk Fudge taking out his anger on my dad. Hermione should stay and help me and Ginny keep track of Slytherins with Elder Khu Lon. So really, it's between Ryoga and Taro. One of them going wouldn't be too worrisome when Umbridge sends word to Fudge that you've disappeared. Aside from the martial arts stuff, neither is too noticeable to any of the non Ravenclaws."

"I think you should bring Taro." Akane stated, trying hard to get a handle on her anger as the words 'trust' and 'Ryoga' fought each other in her mind. She was trying to forgive, but it was hard. "And that's not because I don't trust Ryoga. It's that Taro's cursed form is nearly magic-proof, and he can fly himself, meaning you won't have to carry him. Plus, if they do try something, just his changing forms will give you a few moments to fight back. I doubt any of them have ever seen anything like that before."

"I'd have to agree, sonny. Taro would be a better choice for those reasons, but also because Ryoga still has that problem with getting lost if he goes too far out of the bounds of the Anti-Aparation wards placed on the grounds here." Khu Lon stated, tapping the pipe on the table and then putting it away. "No offense boy, but we can't risk you going outside the range of those wards until we find a way to control those aparations you're doing every time you turn around."

Ryoga sighed but nodded. He understood how much of a liability that particular curse of his could be on a mission like this. He had nearly forgotten about his little problem since it had vanished during his time here. "I hate to admit it, Ranma but you should bring Taro. He's a little more uh, intimidating then I am without actually destroying things. And his cursed form would be of more help then my own." He gave Akane a sheepish glance as he always did when mentioning his immaturity.

"Okay, so this Saturday, me, Taro, Harry will go to the Ministry to confront Fudge. How do we get in? I doubt he'll want to see us."

Luna spoke up. "I have a cousin who's an Auror with fairly high clearance." She had continued to rub Harry's shoulders and back, taking a great deal of pleasure in being able to touch the object of her affections without his being nervous. "In fact, some of you know her. Nymphadora Tonks." She was glad that her face was hidden behind her overlarge glasses as she was forced to say her true name. "She's only been an Auror for a year, but she's got high clearance because she's a metamorphmagi. That automatically triples her wages and clearance to twice that of a 5 year Auror."

"Okay, so Tonks will get us up to Fudge's office, and then Harry could get us IN the office, and I'll deal with Fudge." Ranma was leaning back into Akane now, letting his wife's touch bring him comfort. "Any hints on what I should say to him?"

"Basically tell him to back off, or you'll be forced to recommend that Japan and other Asian nations halt all aid and support of the European nations." Kasumi said, her eyes half closed as Tofu applied his manual dexterity to work on several points along her spine, easing the pain of carrying around an extra 30 pounds. "That should be sufficient enough for him to pay attention to you. Especially if you let your aura flare around you and do that levitation trick Haabu likes to do to look taller. Wizards can't float themselves so that should impress them about how serious you are."

Ranma looked at his sister-in-law with surprise on his face. "That's not like you, Kasumi. Usually it's Akane who wants to scare everyone into doing what I want." He threw a grin over his shoulder as his wife punched him lightly in his shoulder.

"So this Saturday, the three of us will go? It's not like I have to worry about Quidditch anymore, though Ginny and Ron are still on the team." Harry stated, feeling somewhat ambivalent about the ban. On the one hand, it meant that he could no longer feel the freedom of that came of flying and the thrill of the chase against someone who, usually, wasn't trying to kill him only beat him to the Snitch. On the other, Luna had offered to help him out with some of his subjects he wasn't that clear on, though she'd also hinted at the possibility of a different kind of study between them. It had frozen him for a moment, but he found the idea thrilling and somewhat nerve wracking. His only previous experience with girls came through his disastrous and failed courtship of Raven Claw Seeker Cho Chang, who had been dating the sadly deceased Cedric Diggory for most of last year.

At times, he'd really hated Cedric for having what Harry wanted, but he'd come to terms with the fact that he and Cho weren't really suited for each other. Maybe he and Luna could fit together better. After all, both had been able to see the Threstals during the carriage ride and like him, Luna had suffered the loss of her mother at a young age. Though unlike him, she'd still had her father. At the very least, he certainly had more fun spending time with her then he'd ever had either gawking at Cho, or trying to comfort her during her periodic bouts of crying and moaning about poor Cedric. Sure, he hated that Cedric was killed because of him, but that didn't mean he wanted to listen to Cho go on and on about the guy when they were supposed to be talking about each other. And other, more interesting things like grass growing, or the likelihood that Stubby Boardman would come out of retirement now that he'd escaped his evil captors bent on controlling the world through his hypnotic musical styling.

"Okay so we know what were going to do and when, the only question is how? I've got detention with Umbridge every Saturday, and every evening for the next month. How am I going to get out of that?" Harry asked.

Khu Lon leaned forward and cackled in her familiar, irritating way. "Leave that to me, boy. I'll handle the toad, you make sure sonny here doesn't do anything stupid. Like blow up London."

Their plans made, they decided to have a late snack in the room before heading towards their own chambers. Kasumi and Tofu left first, citing fatigue from the excitement. Khu Lon left after, muttering about finding her ungrateful granddaughter and giving her refresher courses on manners. Ron and Hermione sneak out next, Hermione claiming to be going to the Library, and Ron to bed, but from the heated glances they were exchanging, Harry could guess that they were probably sneaking out to find a private place for a lengthy snog session. After all the snacks on the table were gone, Ranma started whispering in Akane's ear, and soon her face was match for Ron's hair. She stood abruptly and said they had to leave, but they'd see Harry and Luna the next day. This left Harry and Luna alone in the room, seated next to each other and nearly leaning against one another.

"Er, I guess it's getting kind of late. Ah, did you want to go over the next lesson for HHT?" Harry asked, nervous about the look Luna was giving him. Sometime during the evening, she'd removed her glasses and was looking at him with an odd clarity that was normally missing on her face.

"Actually, Harry, I think Ron and Ranma had the right idea." she stated in voice far different from her normal tones.

"Ah, they did? What idea is that?" he asked, growing increasingly nervous as Luna shifted in the seat and her expression grew almost feral and hungry.

He eeped as she gave her response by launching herself at him, and knocking them both over the back of the sofa. Needless to say, his mouth was otherwise occupied to repeat the question for some time.

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Nabiki was nervous, something that she couldn't ever really remember feeling. She was about to be let into the presence of one of the most honored and respected people she'd ever known. An entire nation of people would do anything this woman asked. She came from a line of honored samurai and Shogun, and her family was of the purest lines. It was also a little known fact that she was a very well learned and powerful witch. She was the leader of the wizarding community for the nation of Japan.

Behind her, Haabu was standing in his parade ground attention manner. He might hold no allegiance to the rulers of Nihon, but his wife and family did and he would do his best to bring them honor. Next to the tall stoic man was a short, wrinkled woman seated comfortably atop a tall, knobby staff. This was Lo Tin, one of the Amazon elders. She was widely considered the most diplomatic of the Elder council, and so she had been chosen over Xo Me to accompany the delegation to speak with the Empress. Chervil had come to represent the Phoenix and all 4 groups of the 3 Tribes were represented.

The guards, a pair of anxious looking men wearing the latest wet-wear and armed to the teeth with enough firepower to stop a small army (which was what they were facing) received a communiqué through their head gear and stepped aside, pulling open the gilded doors as they did so.

Not wishing to raise the ire of the Empress' guards, Nabiki and her associates bowed to acknowledge the guards and stepped in, removing their shoes and putting on the soft slippers for guest kept next to the door, and slightly out of sight. There was an indication that the Empress had known who was coming, as there were slippers to fit Haabu's larger feet as well as Lo Tin's small feet and even, to the elder's amusement, a single sock like slipper for her staff.

They walked through the open space of the room, admiring the hanging silk wrappings and the tasteful decorations. There were signs of wealth and power, but nothing overly ostentatious and pretentious. Everything in the room fit a theme and was chosen for it's beauty and serenity instead of it's market value. There were candles spaced out along the walls at regular intervals. They were unlit, and the lighting of the room came from soft recessed lighting spaced along the edge of the ceiling at the same range as the candles.

At the end of the room there was a traditional low table with pillows around it and tea already waiting on the table. Seated on one side of the table, facing them with the light of the open windows filtering in behind her sat the Empress. She was dressed in Western style business attire and was talking quietly on a cell phone. The petitioners waited silently and patiently for her to finish her business. It didn't take long and she soon motioned them to approach and sit at the table.

Nabiki took a seiza position and bowed deep enough for her head to nearly touch the table. She could tell that Haabu also bowed, though not as deeply. Lo Tin did the Amazon equivalent, clasping her closed fist over her heart and bowing only her head. Chervil performed a similar gesture, and Nabiki was not surprised to see the Golden Flower of Japan flawlessly execute their gestures.

"Honored Guests, it is a pleasure to see you again. It has been too long since we have last sat at tea together, Lord Haabu." the Empress stated, pouring them each a glass of dark, aromatic tea. "I have heard through my contacts in the wizarding population that you have need of my aid for a situation concerning Lord Ranma and the British Ministry of Magic."

Nabiki replied, going into her carefully considered tale. "Your highness, as you may know, several months ago, Happosai received a request for aid from an old ally of his, one Albus Dumbledore of the British empire. Dumbledore is apparently the Headmaster of the largest and most desirable wizarding school in all of Great Britain and the European nations. Recently, there has been a resurrection of one of the Dark Lords of western fame, a man who calls himself Lord Voldemort. He first began to terrorize the United Kingdoms population nearly 20 years ago. He created an army of wizards and witches that he calls his Death Eaters. Each such person is marked with his symbol, and he can call them to his side or punish them for failure through the use of this Mark. His first reign ended when he sought to kill off the members of a young family that he feared might one day become a danger to him.

However, his evil deeds failed, and instead of taking the life of the child, his soul was stripped from his body and cast into the ethers. Unfortunately, this was not the end of his existence or danger. He soon came to possess several of his former associates. Through the control of there bodies, he was able to arrange for the rebirth of his own form. This even occurred about a year ago. And since then he has again called his servants and begun recruiting young, like minded members of the wizarding community to his side. He has been responsible for several attacks on the school grounds, and Dumbledore feels that the safety of the students is endangered. Voldemort has proven that no one has the power to stop him, save perhaps for the same young child that he was unable to kill during his first reign. He has faced or had his minions attempt to destroy the boy several times, and has failed each time. This boy is the only person that Voldemort has wanted and tried to kill, and been unsuccessful." Nabiki paused for a moment to see if the Empress had any questions.

The Empress sipped from her tea and seemed to consider the words. "This young boy, that would be Harry Potter? The one that they call 'The-Boy-Who-Lived'? "

"That is indeed the case, your highness. So Dumbledore contacted Happosai and asked for his aid in protecting the young man. Happosai then turned to Ranma and others of Angwan to travel to this school and instruct the students there in some of the true martial arts and not just the weaker version once taught to the Western world. Happosai and Dumbledore agreed that with skill in both Martial Arts and Magic, then the students stood a better chance of surviving the coming conflict with Voldemort's army. Especially since in the wizarding population of Europe, the martial arts and physical conditioning is practically non existence. They rely totally on their magical gifts and ignore anything that isn't related to magic. They look down on those unable to perform even the simplest of magic's. They are divided among lines of racial purity and consider any born of non wizarding parents to be lesser beings."

"So that gives your brother and other associates an advantage over these Death Eaters. They are not used to fighting by hand and have no idea of how powerful a martial artist can truly become. They will be overconfident and out of shape to deal with the young warriors the Dragon is teaching." The empress replaced her cup and a servant came out from a hidden door, taking the pot of tea. Seconds later, another servant came from the same direction carrying a different pot, with a sweeter smelling tea.

Lo Tin spoke for the first time. "Unfortunately, your highness, that should have been the case, but unfortunately, Voldemort has enlisted allies of his own from the world of martial arts. He has somehow convinced Lord Saffron of the Phoenix to join his side. And Saffron has taken several of the most powerful of each of the Tribes with him."

Chervil spoke up, his voice strong but filled with age. "We also suspect that they are recruiting from among Lord Ranma's many enemies. There are some powerful and dangerous individuals who owe allegiance to no one but their own whims who would relish the chance to battle and possibly defeat Lord Ranma."

Several moments passed as the empress considered the implications of such a move. She had met Saffron on a few occasions during those months of trying to get all of the Three Tribes moved secretly out of China and to their new homeland just off the Japanese coast. She had been weary of his power, and put off by his personality. He obviously cared little for his people, except in that they continue to worship him as they had in previous generations. He seemed to be the type to use his power for his own benefit and to take what he wanted from those too weak to defend themselves from him. She'd seen the way his eyes had roamed over the forms of the servants and entertainers during the inaugural celebrations of Angwan's creation, and she shuddered to think about how many maidens he had taken by force during his irrationally long life.

"So why have you come to me? As I see it, you should be contacting Lord Ranma to advise him that his enemies are allying against him."

"Unfortunately, your highness, we have been unable to reach Lord Ranma in nearly 3 weeks. Non of our messages are getting to him and non of his are reaching us. The British Ministry has placed a ban on all mail going to and from the school, Hogwarts. We are here to humbly ask for your aid in the use of your influence to speak to the British Minister and have him give us access to reaching Lord Ranma." Nabiki paused a moment. "We would like to visit the Minister and speak to him in person. We ask that you contact him and arrange the meeting, using your power as leader of the Japanese Wizarding council and head of the Asian Council."

"If he refuses the meeting, Nabiki-chan?" the woman asked, finishing the glass of the new batch of tea.

"Then we will have no recourse but to mass our armed forces and march on Britain. We would have to turn over every rock, leaf and blade of grass until we find our Lord. It would mean our having to declare war against the British Ministry with the stated conditions that the war would only end when the current Minister, one Cornelius Fudge, was either removed from office or killed."

"So if I aid you, and get you in to see this Minister, I would be averting a war that might spill out into the non magical population, and would most certainly draw the attention of the Americans? Then I best send a message to Mr. Fudge to let him know to expect you. Will you be travelling by commercial plane or private? Or perhaps, Lord Haabu shall be carrying you?"

Nabiki glanced at her husband who was looking a little sheepish about the appreciative way the empress was looking at him. "Unfortunately, Haabu-chan can't carry all of us the entire way so we were likely going to be chartering a plane. At least, until my order on the private jet comes through. I am having trouble with the dealer and with getting some of the Tribe to understand why I need to pave such a large expanse of land that is quite fertile. They just don't understand the concept of the airplane and takeoff/landing fields."

"If I may make a suggestion?" the Empress looked Nabiki in the eyes, giving her the honor of a person of equal status. The gesture touched the normally cynical young woman. She nodded, tears pressing against the corner of her eyes. "Instead of a jet, perhaps you should look into purchasing one of the new generation of helicopters? Or perhaps one of the new water landing craft? They aren't quite as fast as the Lear or Concorde jets, but they do cover a great deal of area in a short time, and require less fuel and support land. If you aren't going to have a regular airport on the island, which would be a waste since you are only about an hour by slow ferry from one of the major world airports, then those might be options you could convince the more . . . traditional members of your land to accept."

Nabiki paused and considered a few financial matters. The helicopter, or perhaps a seaside airport, would take the wind out of the sails of those hidebound Amazons who wanted the land to grow food and medicinal herbs. After all, they only needed the airport for the occasional flight she had to take for business or to get to parts of the world too far for Ranma and Haabu to fly on their own. Plus the freight of goods which would be cheaper by ship. More time consuming, but much less expensive. Especially with the new engine her design team was working on. She'd managed to get some of the brightest minds from various engineering and electronic firms to join her newly formed R.A.K.T.H.N Incorporated. It had it's base as a mining company, with both Ranma and Haabu now able to produce diamonds and other coal based minerals on demand and in decent quantities, starting a mining company and placing claims on unclaimed lands in both the Arctic circle, and various international waters and unclaimed islands, allowed them to cover the true source of their wealth. The company had risen in stock rapidly since it opened trading 7 months before, and the plan to diversify into the electronic and vehicular markets had been well received by stockholders and investors.

"That might work better for us after all, your highness. Thank you for allowing us to waste a few hours of your time with our petty concerns. We are grateful for you aid in this matter, and for you advice regarding our transportation needs." Nabiki and the others bowed low and waited for the Empress' parting words before they left.

"Think nothing of it, Nabiki-chan. It is always a joy to aid the daughters of my deceased cousin. I am certain that your mother would be most proud of each of you, child. Now, take this." the empress slid a small case over to Nabiki, who took it and bowed over the gift. "Inside is a cell-phone with pre-assigned speed dials to my cell, my office number, my home number, the number at parliament, and the number to the American president and to Queen Elizabeth 2nd. There is also a letter of diplomatic immunity to all subjects of Angwan that has been approved by all the nations in the UN and other international bodies. Should you have any problems with Fudge refusing your requests, show him that letter and dial the people I mentioned. Pressing the last speed dial option opens a line to myself, my husband, the President, the Queen, the Canadian and Australian PM, and the head of the African and South American Wizarding populations. For unlike the close minded peoples of Europe, the rest of the world has incorporated the wizarding population into their standard governmental bodies. Europe has the only countries that force the separation of magical and non magical people."

Nabiki bowed as low as she could, instinctively knowing just how much power the Empress had just given her. And all that power contained within the slim, near weightless form of a piece of modern technology that their opponents and political detractors scoffed at. "Thank you, your highness. It is a great honor you bestow on me, and I hope to prove worthy of it."

The Empress rose and they followed. "It is the least I could do, Nabiki-chan. And it would honor me if at least in closed circles that you call me Auntie. Oh, and mention that to your sisters and their husbands as well dear. We are family, if distant, and family shouldn't be stuck being formal unless they are opposing each other."

The Empress gave the traditional Imperial bow and left out a second hidden door while the group waited until the door closed before retrieving their own shoes and leaving the day room as well. They had a lot to accomplish if they wanted to reach England in time to be of help to Ranma.

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	27. Section 27

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

LOTS of Author Notes at end that have a few of my opinions and some tidbits about back story I am using for the characters. Reading them could clear up a few questions some of you have had.

Here's chapter 27 of Magic vs. MA.

Okay, so last chap was only preparation for the trip and not the actual trip. This one IS the field trip to London from the 2 different groups, and a Death Eater attack.

If you see a symbol or number after a word or phrase that looks out of place, it's because I have an Author's Note regarding that word or phrase at the end I wish to explain.

Anyone know any sites that have good maps of London, England, and Scotland? Is there a place with maps online?

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The neighborhood was silent at a quarter to midnight on the Wednesday evening. The group of black robes figures moved stealthily through the lane-way towards their goal, the small house at the end of the lane. It was a small house, with fading paint and odd extensions from the walls and roof. The small yard before the house was grown wild with weeds and brown, dying grass. The windows and door frames were in bad repair and there were several flashing signs warning against trespassers. The signs were not lit, but were flashing thanks to the magical castings of the house's owner.

The ten robed figures spread out, seven of them drawing thin wooden sticks that would remind a normal person of a drum stick, but which anyone in their community would recognize as cheap, mass produced untraceable wands. The other three pulled their own weapons, one a pair of short swords, another a set of matching bonbori, and the third a long fighting staff with a sword blade on one end and a half moon blade on the other. These three moved swiftly and silently to the house and leapt to the 3rd story roof with ease while the seven others started muttering a variety of charms and spells over the area to further mask their presence from any prying eyes.

They through back the hoods, revealing that each was wearing a full face mask. 6 of the seven wand wielders were wearing white masks with small black mark on the left cheek, while the 7th wore a gold mask with a similar mark made of rubies. The three non-wand wielders masks were red and had a mark on the right cheek of a bird with wings of flame. Once in position, the three threw off the robes, revealing that two were women and the second a winged male. Each was wearing a uniform of skin tight black material with the same mark of the bird on their left breast. The woman were shapely and well endowed, and the man looked like a walking statue, bulging with muscle. He flexed the extra limbs on his back and the white feathered wings flapped silently in the darkness of the alley.

The gold mask wearing wand wielder walked with a swagger to stand just outside the small fence separating the yard from the lane. "Give it up, Caldwell. You stand no chance against us." the strong voice rang clearly through the area, though just twenty feet away, no one would have heard or seen a thing.

In reply for the statement, a purple flash exploded out one of the windows and struck the furthest Death Eater who cried out in pain as he was blasted backwards of his feet to skid along the rough ground before rolling to a stop. The second he left his feet, his compatriots started casting their own spells at the house, blasting holes in the wall and shooting out windows. The barrage lasted for several minutes before the leader raised a hand and they stopped, waiting.

"I'll give you one last chance, Caldwell. Join us and hand the prize over to Lord Voldemort, or fight us and die."

Again the leader's words were meat by a blast from inside the house. This time, several different blasts came streaking from various holes in the wall and broken windows. Each struck a different DE with different results. A blue spell was deflected by the DE nearest the leader and it slammed into the brick wall with a fizzle. A red spell hit another, who was spun in place and fell to his knees, his hand going up to hold the stump where his left arm used to join his body. A pair of purple spells were shielded by twin cries of "Protego!", and a lighter blue spell had to be dodged by the leader. The leader then cast a spell that drew a section stone to leap up before them as shielding as the remaining DE started returning spells. Even the now one armed DE cast a few spells, after cauterizing his wound.

The battle continued for a few minutes, each side taking turns at blasting at the other. The leader took time to recast some of the spells hindering their prey from escaping and his neighbors from coming to his aid. Though he was beginning to suspect that he already had aid since there were too many spells coming too fast for someone of Caldwell's recent reputation to manage.

Seeing that the spell battle was getting them nowhere, the leader signaled to the allies waiting patiently on the roof of the house. Getting the permission, they began to show their abilities. The large man reared up with his metal bonbori, his wings again spreading against the skyline. He brought them crashing down on the roof, shaking the entire building, and causing a hole large enough for the two woman to jump down into the attic space of the house.

Thanks to the holes in the walls, the DE were able to see flashes of black as the women made their way through the house. They had to face several traps and conjured obstacles, but they easily got through them. Eventually, the DE outside were able to stand as Caldwell realized that someone was in the house and started to attack them. Flash after flash seared the air in the house as the defendant tried to force the intruders to flee, but they were too fast for him. Soon, the woman with the staff reached the defendant and struck, slashing not to kill, but to render unconscious and the sounds of battle halted.

The other woman sheathed her swords and easily lifted the bulky frame of Icaras Caldwell onto her shoulder. The two made their way through the house, setting off several traps and raiding for any precious jewels or gemstones. They reached the door and kicked it outward, sending the reinforced door to slam against the hastily re-conjured stone wall. The leader felt a moments irritation, but then had to admit that the pair had managed to defeat the former auror as easily as they had claimed, and without the use of the magically enhanced tools their Lord had given them. The women dropped the form of Caldwell at his feet and nodded. The large man glided out of the sky to a gracious landing just behind the pair. He draped their robes over them, hiding their forms again behind the anonymity of the black cloth.

As he stood over the unconscious form of his long time adversary, he felt a moment of appreciation and respect for the skills of their new allies. Perhaps this martial arts thing was useful after all, he thought while casting the Dark Mark over the house. He grinned and cast the Imperious curse on the former Auror. Soon the Dark Lord would have the prize he'd sought so long and then Dumbledore and his foolish muggle loving allies would be destroyed.

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Nabiki sighed and snuggled deeper into the plush seat of the private plane. Next to her, Haabu was looking around nervously, his powerful fingers nearly tearing the arm rest out of shape. He didn't like being stuck in the enclosed space several thousand feet above ground level. He might be able to float, and was nearly at the point of being able to take full dragon form, but he wasn't comfortable with modern machines and planes. She watched him for a moment while waiting for her drink to be delivered.

He truly was one of the most attractive men she'd ever seen. He was muscular without being gross. Not too tall to seem freakish, but not too short to seem hindered. His white hair could have been a detraction, but the length and silkiness just drew your eye and made you want to touch it. It was not the hair of an old man, but of some one young and in his prime. The same could be said of his face. It wasn't the angular look of the West nor was it the oval-ish look of most of the East, but a combination of the two that took the best of both and combined them. His eyes were bright and clear, not too deep-set to appear sinister, but not to open to show naiveté. His intelligence shone through the orbs, as did all his emotions. He might have mastered the ability to keep his body language and facial expressions under control, but his eyes were incredibly expressive, if you knew what to look for. His mere presence was rife with restrained power and leadership.

His female form was as impressive as his male, and not just because of the natural beauty. He was as much a warrior and leader in his female body, with the white hair with pink and blue streaks as he was in his male. In fact, he seemed more dangerous when in female form since he still had yet to fully accept it as a part of himself and more often then not, would rarely allow any softness show in his mannerisms and behavior when in that form. He was learning to relax a little in male form now that he had someone who was an equal and might be stronger and of higher rank then he in the form of Ranma, but he was still rather staid and formal in public. He only ever relaxed and let himself go when with her and their extended family. He was still very formal with Kasumi and Nodoka, and had adopted a similar relationship to Soun and Genma as everyone else in the Tendo-Saotome clan, but with her, Ranma and Akane, he was beginning to allow some of his inner thoughts and emotions come to the surface. To share his most private moments with them.

At least when he was male. When he was female, he closed up a little towards every one, even her. But thanks to her determination and hard work, he was very slowly starting to accept and enjoy his female form. He was having a harder time of it then Ranma, partially because he'd never had the strong female influences that Ranma had around him despite Genma's attempts to keep him away from girls and women. The only woman Haabu had ever really known before his father's death and the death of the vast majority of the Musk nation was his mother. And she died when he was just barely old enough to be talking.

"Something wrong, Haabu?" she asked quietly, glancing around the spacious cabin. A plane of this size was usually outfitted to seat 30 people, but seats had been removed to make room for a small suite with a Full Sized bed, TV with DVD/VHS player, bookstand(with locking doors), and an enlarged lavatory with half bath/ Shower unit. This left 12 seats in 4 rows of three. Her and Haabu were seated in the row nearest the suite opposite the couch the rested against the suite's wall.

Haabu turned his head to face his wife and felt a familiar sense of calm entering his psyche. His lips twitched into a wry grin as he realized that he had again lost control of his emotions in front of her. It was happening more often then he would like, but there were side benefits. His relaxed control was allowing him to enjoy his wife's peculiar humor and sardonic wit to a greater degree then he would have allowed without the ease and comfort he felt in her presence.

"Just that I don't feel comfortable with this high tech machinery yet. I don't understand how it works. At least with those older planes with the rotors and the like, those I can sort of understand. Even a helicopter I can nearly grasp how they work. But these jet engines and rockets and the like, I don't understand. It's a problem that a lot of our people are facing with the new gadgets. Some are having a great time getting used to them, but others resent their own ignorance. That's why those fools left with that megalomaniac Saffron. They're scared of the new technology they don't understand. You've seen this yourself. Hell, I don't really like most of it, though I have to admit that cell phones and computers are handy. But most are useless, like television and blenders and the like are just wastes of time and effort." He shook his head, remembering wandering around down town Tokyo with Nabiki, Ranma, and Akane, the three cursed beings in their alternate forms and dressed in more mundane clothing to fit in with the throngs of people around them. He'd seen things there, he'd never known existed, and wished he still didn't know about.

Nabiki listened to her husband's mini-tirade and again was filled with awe that for two people from such different backgrounds, they were so alike and so similar. They had the same drive and ambitions and loved each other so much that sometimes she would just lean back and look at him and wonder how she could love someone so much. It gave her a good insight into the personalities of her sister and her trouble-magnet husband as well, and made her respect and love both even more for showing her that love such as they shared, and that she shared with Haabu, could exist in this modern world.

"You don't have to understand how something works to know that it does. I don't get all the science parts of it myself, but I trust that it works. I couldn't make a blender or put together a TV without electrocuting myself and half the neighborhood, but I trust that those who did put them together know how they work and what to do. It won't be long before every one is used to using them. Especially once they start to see how much time they save by using the blenders and mixers and microwaves. Time they can then use for more training."

Haabu considered his wife's words, trying to ignore the hand she was using to massage his upper thigh. "I hadn't considered that. I guess some of these knew gadgets could be of some use, but I still say that most are not helpful for our people."

"Anyway, cheer up. The flight is almost over. In fact, why don't we sit on the couch and get comfortable? Our drinks and food should only be a few minutes, thanks to those microwave things you don't like. I'm sure you aren't too comfortable sitting in that chair all scrunched up like that."

The two moved over to the long couch, where Haabu was able to stretch out his legs and Nabiki to cuddle up to his side. They'd been flying in for about 4 hours now, and the flight was supposed to be 6, so they'd have about an hour and a half of comfort before having to fit themselves into the seats and lock in for landing. Chervil and Xo Me were seated forward of the plane, near the cockpit and mini kitchen area to give the newlyweds some measure of privacy. Raimu and Mint were accompanying them as guards, and despite their admittedly dimwitted nature, they were among the best warriors on the island. They had to be, for they were Haabu's sparring partners when Ranma wasn't around. Genma was likely a better match, but the lazy old panda had gone into 'retirement' and spent little time doing any training at all any more.

"So what do you have planned for this Fudge character, love?" Haabu asked. While he was technically higher ranked then any other of their little ensemble, Nabiki was going as Ranma's proxy and this made her the nominal leader and spokesperson for their journey.

"I was thinking about what Obasan said. She was right about a lot of things. And we're going to make sure not only Fudge-O understands that, but we'll even go to the Queen and the PM themselves if we have to. The European wizards, especially the UK ones, might like to pretend that they aren't a part of the rest of society, but they need to realized that they are no better or worse then any other subgroup within a nation. Just because they can use magic, doesn't give them the right to treat those who can't like they don't matter."

"I still don't get how no one has ever caught on that there's this entire sub-nation within their borders that go around fighting and killing each other and those different from them." Haabu stated as the attendant finally brought their drinks and small meal trays, which she expertly set on a folding table that locked into place between the couch and seats. It was nothing fancy, but much beyond the standard airline fare as this was the Emperor's private jet. It was nearly as well equipped as the US President's Airforce One, if only a third it's size.

The newest Air Force One was a converted 727 with the engines of a 787, air chaff anti tracking devices, 2 five person escape pods, the latest in RADAR/SONAR detection equipment, and armored hull with RADAR reflective shielding to make it harder for potential enemies to track it's location while in flight. The Emperor's plane, which was a purpose built craft specifically for the Emperor and his family and had no counterpart. It was a one time build made specially for the Emperor. It also had an impressive set of tracking equipment, but due to it's size, lacked some of the extras that Air Force One held. It's main advantage was it's speed.

It was capable of travelling at supersonic speeds, with a full load of passengers and cargo in the small hold. It had 4 engines, but generally flew on 2, with the others acting mainly as boosters or replacement should a problem occur. The second set were also on rotors so that they could perform Vertical Take Off for the jet, though Vertical Landing was used in emergency cases only as it was hard for a craft it's size to halt all forward momentum in midair.

"So we go see Fudge and if he doesn't relax, then we take it to the Prime Minister and the Queen? Who is the Prime Minister anyway? Didn't they hold elections recently?" International politics was fast becoming a hobby of Haabu's. For several reasons, first among them being he liked to know of any potential allies or enemies who might pose a threat to their little corner of the globe.

"Actually they did. And they elected Prince William. In fact, with the Queen's fading health and semi-retirement, there's rumors that she might rescind the throne to William, skipping her son Charles, who she's publicly said would never hold the throne while she lived, and going straight to her grandson. If that happens while he's still PM, then it would be the first time the King was also an elected official."

"So would William support the idea of bringing the wizarding world out into the public view?" Haabu asked.

"I would suppose he would, if what Auntie told me about him and the Queen is true."

"What's that?"

"That they are both practicing wizards and are tired of hiding their talents. Apparently Prince Charles is what they call a squib. He's the only one in the family who ISN'T a wizard. Even Princess Diana, William and Henry's mother, was a witch. It seems to run in most of the ruling class, actually, though there hasn't been an open wizard/witch since the last Richard the Third." Nabiki paused as she heard a slight reduction in the noise of the powerful engines. She called over the attendant.

"Excuse me, but what's going on? Why's the engine suddenly more quiet?"

The attendant bowed and refused to meet Nabiki's eyes. "We are approaching an area of high turbulence, Lady Nabiki-san. While going at the speed we were would get us through it fast, it would be more dangerous so they are slowing the plane to minimize the turbulence. It should add but a half hour to the trip, but it is much safer for a craft this size." During the explanation the man refused to met either Nabiki or Haabu's eyes.

Nabiki nodded, not pleased but understanding the reason now could accept the delay. They weren't in that much of a hurry that risking all there lives by insisting on maintaining speed was a necessity. They could afford a minor delay or two. It's not like they really had an appointment time set. They were after all just basically going to crash Fudge's office. Once they found the magically hidden building. Which, thanks to Haabu, wouldn't take long.

Nabiki smirked as she waved off the attendant and snuggled into her husband's side. There were some interesting side benefits to being a dragon, not all of them physical. 1

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Harry was still unused to being around Ranma in his dragon form. He had shown, just the previous week, the entire Gryffindor house what he looked like during one of their lessons, so that they could see what a powerful effect his father's insane methods could force on a person. That didn't make him all that comfortable, really, since the only time he'd been around dragons, they'd been trying to kill and or eat him. Well, except for little Norbert, who wasn't so little anymore. He'd wondered about how Ranma could remain intelligent in his dragon form, and Hermione had started going into one of her lectures, this time on the differences in various dark creatures compared to what most being thought of them. He'd tuned her out and later asked Luna what she thought, and she had told him that there were once a race of dragon's known as the Greater dragons who where intelligent and peaceful, unless provoked. They'd died out long ago, as mankind expanded and grew fearful of competition from what they saw as nothing more then beasts and monsters. Much like what had happened to most other magical creatures. Dwarfs, Gnomes, Giants, Unicorns, Werewolves, Vampires, and the like were forced out of their habitats and historical homelands as the human population exploded upwards.

He gulped and nodded as Akane continued to give him tips on how to better sit and stay on Ranma while flying. 2. He was nervous, but also exhilarated. He was going to be flying by dragon back! Something that had, oddly enough, been a dream of his even long before he'd ever known of his heritage. He'd gobbled up fantasy books as a young child, and even his aunt and uncle had encouraged him, since it meant he'd be out of their hair and sight until they had more chores for him to do. He'd read often about people ridden the fantastic and majestic beasts and it had given him plenty to dream about while he performed the menial labor his so called guardians forced on him. In some books the dragons were intelligent beings, powerful old and wise. In others they were simply mindless or near mindless beasts of burdens forced to obey those who controlled them. He'd always preferred the more intelligent style of dragons, and that had only deepened after his encounter with the Hungarian Horn Tail during the TriWizard Tournament the previous year.

So he listened while Akane went over the use of the different straps to direct Ranma's direction, speed, altitude, and other aerial maneuvers the nearby shape could perform. Including barrel rolls, harsh stops, 180 degree turns in both direction and orientation (head goes up, head goes up a little part of him screamed when she mentioned flying several miles with Ranma upside down), and how to get him to land. The straps were a complicated little measure based on an old design Ranma had once found in a place they refused to tell him about (3). They'd been made of modern materials and were much stronger and safer to use.

With Akane and Ryoga helping him, and his friends looking own, he managed to scramble in to place between the powerful wings, seated just off the long neck and centered on the muscles that powered the wings. The straps ran around the 'shoulders' of the front limbs and met in the center of the massive chest. They then went up the sides, in front of the wings, to a set of three small ridges. Each ridge had been pierced, and being a form of material similar, if much stronger and more rigid then human hails, there was no sensation and the piercing had been painless. It had taken a diamond drill to get through the ridges. These three straps connected to a harness that the rider wore that was similarly connected to the larger ridges running down Ranma's back. Also connected to the smaller and large ridge was a saddle seat with hanging stirrups connecting again along the chest. This put the persons legs just before the wing limbs, without hindering the length or power of a wing beat. You could tie the legs into the stirrup harness for greater safety, but Akane rarely did, except for long flights.

"It should take about 4 hours to fly from here to London at a moderate speed." Taro said as he stood nearby, leaning against a wall. He was waiting until Harry was all strapped in before changing his own form. He had not changed at all since arriving, mostly because for the first few days after he arrived, that half grown giant oaf had been following him around begging to see his cursed form. So he didn't want to startle anyone with his admittedly frightening form.

Harry and the others nodded. It seemed to Harry that train ride was longer then that, but even though it didn't stop from King's Cross to Hogsmead, it did have twists and turns and have to slow here and there. Flying was a much straighter course, and a moderate speed for Ranma and Taro would be much faster then the fastest the Express could safely travel.

"It's going to colder then you're used to and the air is thinner at the height we're flying. That's why I had you brew that potion. It should help protect you against the cold and thin air. It will warm the air you breathe in, and let your body work on less oxygen." Hermione added from where she was huddle with Ron. She was surprisingly comfortable with their changed relationship, and wanted to show everyone how much she cared for the red-haired, quick tempered youth. Ron was the one who was wanting to take things more slowly and be more discrete. At first she'd thought it might have to do with the Quidditch groupies that were always chasing after him since he'd joined the team, but he'd been honest and straightforward with his fears for the future and his need to be sure they'd be together forever before risking their friendship if their relationship failed.

Harry again nodded. He was now seated in the saddle while Akane attached the straps and rigging and double checked their strength. "Okay Harry, all set here. Don't worry. Just sit back and enjoy the flight. Don't bother yelling if you need to tell Ranma something. With the speed of the wind, yelling won't help. Luckily, a dragon's magic is such that anyone riding the dragon can talk to him by just speaking normally. He will hear you, and believe me, you'll hear him. You won't be able to talk to Taro though, but Ranma will, so just pass what you think Taro needs to know to Ranma, and he'll let Taro know."

Harry gave a weak grin, nervousness briefly flaring as he took in exactly what was about to happen. He was about ot accomplish a childish dream, thanks to a friend who was a foreign martial artist and the insane training inflicted on him by an abusive father during his childhood. This same friend had become such a powerful martial artist due to bi-daily challenges and torturous training methods of various instructed that he had outgrown the weaker form of his human self and been forced to evolve into a form more suited for the mix of raw power, spiritual purity, and gentle nature. And he himself was not what many would consider normal, in either of his two worlds.

In one, he was considered either the Savior of all, of a rotten apple who needed to be cut from the tree. In the other, he was a rotten apple hated by his relatives for his differences who had to hide what he was capable of and live in squalid conditions far below what even the most jaded would consider suitable for a child. His family hated him because of his wizarding blood, and those in the wizarding world hated him because he had non wizarding blood in his family. Or they worshiped him as a some type of semi-religious being capable of miracles simply because he'd had the bad luck to live when an insane megalomaniacal evil wizard had broken into his family's home and slaughtered his parents.

Now all set, those remaining behind moved back to the safety of the walls while Ranma stood up on his four legs and Taro splashed himself and transformed. There wasn't much room on the rooftop courtyard with their large bodies filling the space, but they didn't need a lot of room. Just enough to spread their wings and jump into the air. Taro leapt off first, his ridiculously small wings lifting him off the ground when they should have not been able to support a being 1/10th his mass. It was a comical look, the small white wings lifting his massive minotaur body with octopus tentacles and an eel tail. But it was also frightening. He might look slow in this form, but has was nearly as quick as Ranma's male form was the first time Ranma fought Saffron, and hit harder then Akane in full rage.

Ranma nodded to the now hovering oddity and leapt straight up. He managed an impressive leapt of nearly 5 meters before he swung his large wings down, sending him up higher. His beats started to get faster as he fought for altitude and then he relaxed, fixed his wings, and started to fall. His wings caught the air like a sail, and he was off, gliding away into the bright sky, with Taro flapping effortlessly to catch up. Within minutes they were out of sight of those watching and on their way. In 4 hours, they should reach the British capital and start their attempts to set things right at Hogwarts. And if they failed, it might be the beginning of the first Wizarding/Martial Arts World War, bought not with the tools of technology common in the west, but with arts as ancient as lands that had sunk beneath the seas.

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AUTHOR'S NOTES:

As most of you can tell, this takes place in place of the 5th book. Not that I don't like the fifth, since I do, but putting Ranma in this place and setting worked out well. For my timeline for 4th year/book, the TWC final took place in mid-April. So this left about 2 months left of the school year. The Harry/Cho relationship disaster took place during this time, not during 5th year. Most people don't like Cho Chan for some reason and tend to be rather mean to her in fanfic. I like her and cheered for her and Harry to get together during the book, but I can understand why Rowlings had it crash and burn the way it did.

For those wondering I have read the 6th book, and was vastly disappointed. The idea of the Horcrux wasn't too bad, but I feel that she coped out by putting Harry and Ginny together. Harry never showed any interest in Ginny, except as something of a surrogate sister, and now he's suddenly, in about a 30 page gap, is jealous of her boyfriend's and in love with her? Doesn't make any sense to me. Same with Snape killing Dumbledore. I think she gave into outside pressures to turn Snape totally evil, and have Harry/Ginny together. After everything Harry's been through, for a relationship, he'd want someone more mature and stable then the demonstrated flighty and flirty Ginny. That's why I like Harry/Tonks. She'd older, not by much (officially mention in books as being 22), and is an Auror, which Harry wanted to be, and while older, is not too staid and proper. She'd be able to bring him a laugh when he needed one. And I prefer Harry for Tonks over Remus, because Remus is roughly the same age as her mother, which puts him at least 16 years her senior. Remember, Sirius Black and Andromeda Tonks(Tonks' mom) are cousins and only a few years age difference. And Remus was in same year as Sirius, which puts them at same age, give or take a few months. So if you're one of those 'but she's older then him!' who don't like tonks/harry, then by default you have to hate tonks/remus because he's at least half again her age.

0. Read 'Comes the Gold Dragon' by Don Granberry for the back-story on Ranma's becoming a dragon. Or something like that. Google the title and author.

1. Dragons, being magical creatures, have the ability to sense strong magical fields and presence. Remember back to earlier chapters where I describe my views on how different people tap into a common 'field' of magical energy, and that random factors define how much and how easily they can tap the field? Dragons have an innate sense that allows them to feel where, when, how much, and how to get through, magic is being used. They are immune to most forms of magic, and those that do affect them do so at a much lower efficiency then it does other, less resistant beings. There are two or more subclasses of dragon. Greater Dragons (like Ranma, Haabu, others with Cold Dragon's gift), are intelligent and have the ability to change form and USE magic. Lesser Dragons (those described in HP books) are near mindless savage beasts. I also think there are several types of werewolves and vampires, each with their own abilities and weaknesses.

Just wanted to explain this statement, as well as give info that I am using that would fit in the actual story without seeming forced or misplaced.

2. Get your minds out of the gutter, nothing meant here but what it says. There are tricks to staying on a beast that size while it's in flight that are vastly different from Harry's experiences on a broomstick.

3. Reference to CtCD last chapter where Ranma finds the Pearls of Wisdom, touches one and blacks out. That is the last published part of CtCD. There has been no change in that site of any kind in more then 2.5 years, since chapter 17a to 18b were posted. Even the other story at the site is unfinished and has not been updated. There's been no notice at all on any of the pages about why nothing has changed. It's simply like the person forgot or decided to give up.


	28. Section 28

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

LOTS of Author Notes at end that have a few of my opinions and some tidbits about back story I am using for the characters. Reading them could clear up a few questions some of you have had.

Here's chapter 27 of Magic vs. MA.

Okay, so last chap was only preparation for the trip and not the actual trip. This one IS the field trip to London from the 2 different groups, and a Death Eater attack.

If you see a symbol or number after a word or phrase that looks out of place, it's because I have an Author's Note regarding that word or phrase at the end I wish to explain.

One reviewer mentioned that he didn't understand the part about Harry reading fantasy books, thinking that the Dursley's would want to keep Harry away from anything of that nature. Now, I might be giving the Dursley's too much credit but here's my reasoning:

They let Harry read those books for a few reasons. One was it kept him out of their way and quiet when they didn't want him to do some chore, and another was that in case something magical ever DID happen that only Harry witnessed and started talking about to others, they could always claim his mind was rotted by reading that trash and he was confusing the books with reality.

For my own sake, I'm putting the Ministry of Magic office as being near the real British Ministry offices. They are part of the British system after all, and even though there isn't a lot of interaction between the Muggle and Wizarding general populations, there is some cross over when it comes to government officialdom. In a lot of fic, Aurors often pretend to be part of the Muggle police forces( both standard, Scotland Yard, and MI6), but in here, they have their own class as Section 10. The Muggle police agencies know that when people show the Section 10 badge, that its a really dangerous case and that it's something the government want's kept quiet. So to the Muggles Section 10(Aurors) and Section 11(Unspeakables) are just a British version of CIA and FBI rolled together.

Some of the scenes in the next chapter are giving a little boost from watching Goblet of Fire. Try and guess which ones.

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"So Harry, how do you find riding a dragon?" Ranma asked as they soared easily through the air, flying just above the normal flight lanes for this part of the world. Ranma had taken to reading and knowing any and all information regarding air traffic since the time he'd nearly collided with a passenger jet heading towards Tokyo during one of his first flights. The escape had been so close, that he had left scrape marks on the plane from his wings beating the air and his tail slashing to help him keep his balance.

"It's bloody amazing Ranma. I never expected it to be so peaceful up here. I mean, I'm a great flyer on my broom, or so everyone tells me, but this, this is REAL flying. I can't believe you get to do this anytime you want!" Harry laughed into the rushing wind, throwing his arms wide and enjoying the rush of air cooling his body. He'd been unusually warm, and realized that he'd put too much heat worm into the potion that was allowing him to survive at the height they were flying.

"When we get back, we should have a race." Ranma suggested, unaware of the last time Harry had been in the air with a dragon. "Might be fun. Taro could join in as well. He might not look it, but he's fairly speedy for a ton of beef."

Harry glanced to the left, where he spotted the large form of Taro slipping easily through the air, keeping up with Ranma's larger and more powerful wing beats. Taro had much more experience flying long distance and dealing with the wind resistance and other hazards of flight then Ranma, though this was nearly twice the height he'd ever flown before. Harry could just make out Taro's massive shaggy head twist to look at them and roar something that he couldn't quite hear.

"Taro just noticed a storm front not far ahead. We're almost to London so we're going to slow down and drop to only about 10 000 feet. I don't know how I know how high I am, but somehow, I can just sense it." Ranma stated to let Harry know what was about to happen. "Now, you want to take the scenic route, or the Express?" Ranma stated, a hint of laughter in his rumbling voice.

Harry blinked and grabbed the reigns. "Let's take the Express! It can't be any worse then diving straight down while chasing a Snitch."

Ranma's body shook with laughter, and his long neck craned over to look back at Harry as they came to a screeching halt in their forward momentum. "Then try this!" he said, collapsing his wings to his body and twisting his body to face downward. Immediately, they started to fall from the sky and gathering speed. Soon, they were moving faster then Harry could ever remember going, even on his Firebolt.

He screamed out in pure pleasure and exhilaration at the joy of flying. Free of the bounds of gravity, free of the stares and gossip of others. Free of their expectations and accusations. Just him, Ranma, and hundreds of miles of open sky.

"THIS IS BLOODY BRILLIANT!" he screamed out, clutching the reigns and letting the force of the rushing wind push him tighter into the saddle.

Taro watched as Ranma fell, chuckling to himself as he pulled the stopper on the tiny thermos that contained hot water. He dumped the water over himself, and tucked his limbs in tightly as he commenced falling. Those with little experience would think that his larger form would fall faster due to it's weight, but the wind resistance and natural buoyancy of his changed form would actually slow his fall. Ranma was having that problem at the moment as his body instinctively sought to slow his fall by spreading his wings, which occasionally started to flare out before Ranma regained control over his instincts.

It wasn't long before Taro caught up to and passed the laughing pair as the head long rush to meet the rapidly expanding ground continued for several more seconds until Taro felt himself near the speed limit for his form and had to quickly transform back and flare his own wings to slow his descent. He popped back upwards for a moment like a skydiver opening his chute, and Ranma screamed past him and beyond before his own wings snapped out and they pulled out of the fall into a massive loop de loop before resuming a steady glide level near the 10 000 foot mark they'd aimed for.

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Nabiki started as she felt a hand gently shake her shoulder. She sleepily opened his eyes and blinked to shake the last vestiges of sleep from her face. "Nani?" she asked.

Haabu smiled. His wife was adorable when she tried to pretend to be more awake then she was. He'd learned early that she was slow to awaken and liked to linger on the edge of sleep before starting her day. "We are going to be landing soon, bao bei." he whispered to her, his hand caressing her cheek. His smile grew as she unconsciously leaned into his touch. "We are on final approach and the crew insists we take our seats."

Still half-asleep, Nabiki allowed her husband to carry her over to the seats and place her gently in the plush seat. She rewarded him with a searing kiss filled with promises of more to come and then lazily set about the task of securing the seat in the upright and locked position while strapping on the seat belt. Once that was done she shook off the last of her sleepy haze and came to full alertness. "Once we land, we'll order a vehicle to bring us to the Ministry. Apparently, people with no magical ability can't see the wizard places scattered throughout the cities of the world. So Xo Me, we will rely on you to authenticate that we have reached the right place."

The Chinese elder nodded, taking the younger woman's word as that of Lord Ranma. "Of course, my lady. I can already detect several magical signals in the city below, including a few very concentrated sources of power. Empress has been kind enough to give us the address and location of the Ministry Offices, and I can verify that we have reached the proper place." She turned her head and stared out through the window nearest her. "I also sense a very powerful source of energy and chaos approaching the city. There are two other energies with the large one, including a powerful magical signature." She frowned and turned to Nabiki. "If I didn't know better, I would say the larger source is Lord Ranma, but he is at that school, a great distance away."

Nabiki scowled. She hated mysteries. "If Ranma was annoyed enough with this Ministry's interference with what he's trying to do at Hogwarts, he might have decided to come pay them a visit. And if that's the case, Fudge better damn well hope that we get there first. Ranma's not exactly the most diplomatic person in the world and his idea of restraint is punching someone through a wall and not kicking them across the city."

Haabu chuckled. "He's not quite that bad, bao bei. Though if you tell him I said so, I'll deny it to the day I die."

Nabiki giggled, enjoying just being a woman with her husband. Then the seriousness of the situation asserted itself. "Back to business. When we reach the Ministry, Haabu chan, I want you to do that floating thing. Nothing major, but just enough that it's obvious that you aren't walking but floating through the air. Xo Me, If you can do the doddering Elder act, scowl at them, mutter under your breath, things like that. Maybe throw a ki ball or two if they get in the way. Nothing to hurt anyone, but enough to startle them and get them moving. I will be quiet until we get to Fudge. I'll be doing that 'Ice Queen' thing Ranma says I'm good at but that I think is just a good business face. I'll ignore everyone but Fudge and talk to him like he's something I scraped off the bottom of my shoe."

"Ah, I see. You want him to know how little the rest of the world thinks of him." Xo Me stated with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"I want him to know that his power extends only as far as the influence of the British Empire and that he has no power over ANY one who isn't part of the United Kingdoms. From what I've read, for the longest time, wizards the world over have bowed down and cowered before the wizards of the British Empire and obeyed the orders of the British Ministry. Just because most of the better known wizards in history originally came to fame in the UK doesn't mean that they have the right to dictate to the rest of the world. Like with the American's ordering around the rest of the world because they have the 'strongest' army, the British Minister has held the threat over the rest of the wizarding population because of the history of their situation."

Haabu nodded and gripped the armrest as the plane began it's final decent. He really hated these flying death traps. He was just glad that it was almost over. Then he remembered that he'd have to go through this again to get home, and decided to ask the Elder to knock him out for the return flight.

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Ranma and Taro landed safely in a deserted section of the warehouse district. Ranma switched back to his human form once Harry finally managed to free himself from the restraints. They bundled the straps and Harry shrunk them and stuck them in his pocket. Taro hadn't managed the trick of changing himself without water yet, so he used his last thermos to transform into human form and dressed. Once they were all set, they started off, Ranma and Taro allowing their ki sense to extend in all directions to sense the approach of any potential threats.

There wasn't anything in the area they couldn't handled, and despite there low numbers, not even the most vicious gangs of the area was willing to take the chance of attacking them for Ranma had copied Haabu's floating trick and was about a foot off the ground, holding his staff tightly at his side while Taro would glare at the occasional watcher who followed the trio as they moved out of the area to a more populous and 'safer' section of the old city. Once they reached a decently safe place, they used the cell phone Fred and George had magicked to contact their friends still at the school and let them know they'd arrived safely. Then Harry used his to call for a cab, which picked them up.

They reached the Parliament building about half an hour later. They entered the building and then left through a side exit. The Ministry of Magic offices were hidden through a special sequence of brick presses like the entrance to Diagon Alley. This was the back entrance to the Ministry as compared to the visits Harry had previously taken. It was usually used only by Aurors and Unspeakables on top secret missions to bypass the curious people who had been called to the Ministry for various reasons.

Harry entered the code Luna'd had given him. He wondered a moment how she'd gotten the code, but she'd just smiled mysteriously and said she had her sources. Then she'd snogged him senseless and he'd had to have her tell him the code again before they left.

Once the bricks parted and the entrance opened, they entered into a deserted stairwell and onto a platform. Harry gave their destination as the office of Minister Fudge and off they went. The trip was eerily similar to the cart rides of Gringott's, thought not quiet as long or rushed, it was still a bit of a thrill. Minutes later they exited the hidden door into the waiting area.

Harry lead the way, with Ranma floating behind him and Taro at his most intimidating brining up the rear, his dragon hide vest and gauntlets gleaming eerily in the harsh lights of the magical equivalent of Fluorescent lights. The guards, a pair of heavy set Aurors standing at the door to the Ministers private office didn't notice them at first, as it seems they were trying to get into the office. Their spells were bouncing off the doors and causing damage to the rest of the room. Harry looked confused at Ranma, who had broken out into a grin and waved the young wizard off.

Ranma's chuckling drew the attention of the guards, who spun into crouches and cast some type of spell toward the three. Ranma simply held his staff out before him and absorbed the energy of the spells. He swung the staff in a horizontal arc and both guards were lifted and tossed to the side. They hit the wall and passed through the paper thin construct with ease. The secretary, a young red-haired man paled and shakily drew his wand, and Ranma pointed the end of his staff at him. The black haired martial artist was somewhat surprised when his young wizard friend pushed his staff, and the small ki blast, aside and looked questionably at the messy haired boy.

"Let me handle this, Ranma. Percy and I know each other fairly well." Harry said quietly. "He's Ron's brother." Ranma nodded and instead directed the staff at the hole in the wall and the outer doors and used his Ki to erect a barrier preventing entry into the room.

Harry replaced his wand into the wand holster Moody had given him, and approached the nervous young man with his hands extended like he'd seen in Muggle cop shows. "Hello Percy. How you doing?"

Percy's eyes grew even wider as he finally recognized the other wizard. "Harry? What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at Hogwarts? And who is that?"

"Percy, this is Lord Ranma Saotome of the land of Angwan. He is here to speak with Minister Fudge about the restrictions that have been placed on the students of Hogwarts and the Ministry's continued interference with the school's curriculum."

If anything, Percy's shaking become any more pronounced. His wand fell from his hand on to the desk and he collapsed back into his chair, placing his face in his hands. He started chuckling, then laughing hysterically. He eventually got himself under control and took on an overly officious manner. "I'm sorry but the Minister is in a meeting with a representative of the government of the country of Angwan. I'm afraid you'll have to wait. The door is being blocked by some unknown type of magic barrier."

Ranma's grin widened and he slammed the end of his staff down on the ground, causing the entire wing to shake. "That isn't a magic barrier, Percy. It's a ki shield. And you can't break it, but you can knock, if you know how." Ranma allowed a tendril of his ki to flow from his aura and stroke the barrier. It collapsed within seconds and the doors swung open. He floated into the room, gesturing for Taro to remain outside and Harry to enter with him.

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Nabiki was well into the Ice Queen persona as she debarked the plane on the arm of her equally cold faces husband. The impassive pair didn't express or show the slightest interest as they moved through the crowd at the airport, the gathered throngs parting before them like wheat before a thresher. Xo Me and the Guards brought up the rear as the pair avoided the security checks thanks to the diplomatic markings on their plane and passports. Within 2 minutes of landing, the pair, alone with Xo Me entered a waiting limo while Mint and Raimu stepped into a SUV that would lead the way.

Twenty minutes later, they reached the offices of the Ministry and Xo Me lead the way through the magical barriers protecting it from the site of the non magical. They barreled their way through the entrance, Raimu and Mint shoving people aside with their enhanced strength while Haabu's ki extended around them in a protective barrier as several guards started casting restraining spells on them.

Nabiki ignored the miniature battle as Haabu's ki flared and Xo Me's hands flashed. Within seconds, the nearly 2 dozen magical guards were rendered unconscious. They then proceeded through the halls, as Xo Me's magical sense detected the place of most concentrated magic. This lead to a large set of double doors with magically flashing sing proclaiming 'Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge'. Mint and Raimu shoved the heavy doors open and Nabiki and Haabu strode, or rather glided through the now open entrance. Haabu nodded to the excitable pair, who took up stations outside the main doors as they swung closed on their own accord.

A startled young man leapt from his seat, a wand appearing in his hand while the too burly guards before the smaller inner office door also drew wands and took up aggressive stances.

Nabiki finally spoke for the first time since leaving the plane. "I am here to see Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge on behalf of Lord Ranma of Angwan and the Imperial Family of Japan."

The red haired young man froze and stared for a moment before shaking himself and putting away his wand. He could sense little magic from the trio before him, which meant they were no threat to the two powerful Aurors in protecting the Minister. He wondered how the white haired man was floating and how the goblin woman was balancing on the top of that staff, but set that aside for the moment. "I am afraid that the Minister is not taken supplicants at this time. He is very busy countering the false rumors of the return of You-Know-Who and has no time to deal with foreigners with no official standing."

Haabu turned his gray eyes on the youth and allowed a little of his Ki to flare into being. "You will tell the Minister that Lord Haabu of the Musk Empire and his Queen are here to see him and that if he wishes to remain in one piece, let alone stay in office, he will see us immediately."

"Threatening the Minister is a crime punishable by the Dementor's Kiss." stated one of the large men in an oddly high-pitched voice. "You will lay down all weapons and surrender yourself peacefully, or we will forcibly restrain you."

Haabu frowned at the two and lashed out with his ki, sending them crashing into opposite walls, leaving crater style impacts in the plaster and stunning them.

"Since you refuse to do so, I will take matters into my own hands." he said to the red haired young man, who was staring at him in fear. He pointed a hand at the double doors and used his ki to send a wave of air to shove open the doors. Then he and Nabiki glided through with Xo Me following silently.

He used the same method to close the doors and set up a barrier with his ki that would stop anyone from entering the room.

The Minister was sitting at his desk, his back to the door as he overlooked a set of papers. "Not now, Weatherby, I've almost found the means to oust Dumbledore from his position and place Delores in charge permanently."

Nabiki spoke. "You are Minister Cornelius Fudge, I gather?" she demanded in the coldest voice she could muster.

The portly man spun about in his chair in surprise at the feminine voice. "Who the hell are you people? How did you get in here? Guards? Johnson, Stevens, where are you?"

"I'm afraid they are unavailable for this meeting, Minister." Haabu stated, allowing a draconic sibilance to enter his voice.

Fudge gulped as he stared into the cold, dragon like eyes of the Musk ruler. "Who are you? What do you want?" he demanded, trying to restore some of his control to the situation. Sadly for him, he'd lost control the moment he'd annoyed Nabiki and frustrated Ranma.

"I am Nabiki Tendo, this is my husband Prince Haabu of the Musk, and this is Elder Xo Me of the Jokoketsu. We are here as representatives of Lord Ranma Saotome, King of Angwan and of the Imperial Family of Japan." She allowed that to sink in and saw the moment it clicked in his mind as he collapsed back into his seat. "We are here to ask why you continue to interfere with our lines of communication to Lord Ranma and his aids during their stay at the school of wizardry you call Hogwarts." Nabiki felt a faint flutter of emotion through her bond to her husband and spared a side glance at him. He gave her a tiny smirk and tilt of the head to show that there was nothing for her to worry about. In fact, she could feel that he was rather pleased about something, but she had to play her part.

"The ban on communications applies to all at Hogwarts, Miss Tendo." Fudge began, trying to appear diplomatic and fair. "With the false rumors and accusations that are being spread by Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, the population was beginning to panic. The ban on communications and other edicts passed by the Ministry are an attempt to halt the spread of these falsehoods and to calm the people. I as Minister can not allow private citizens to frighten the population with these tales of imagination."

"Nicely stated, but with as much truth as there are people on the moon." Nabiki stated coldly. A squeeze on her arm directed her to glance again at Haabu, who motioned with his head towards the door and it was then that Nabiki felt a flicker of familiar ki coming from beyond the barrier. She raised an eyebrow in a silent question that Haabu answered with a slow nod. She grinned at her husband and squeezed his arm affectionately before turning back to face the minister with a huge smile on her face, an expression that frightened the older man more then the cold facade she'd portrayed before.

"Minister Fudge, today seems to be a bad day for you. May I present to you, Lord Ranma Saotome, King of Angwan and the Cold Dragon of Nerima." Nabiki finished with a bow as both she and Haabu spilt apart and turned to face the door which opened and Ranma floated in followed by a messy black-haired boy with a lightning bolt scar on his head. The whole effect and timing shattered whatever remaining bravado of the Minister as he beheld for the first time one of the sources of his most current woes as well as the boy who'd he'd been trying to silence for more then a year now. It would have frightened him even more to learn that none of the movements had been planned and that neither group had known the other was going to be there on this day, let alone at that they arrive within minutes of each other.

"Nabiki? Haabu? What are you doing here?" asked Ranma in shock as he saw his sister-in-law and her husband in the office of the person he'd come to speak to.

Nabiki grinned and rejoined her husband's side, letting Ranma take up her former position on to the wand side of the wizard. "I've said it before, brother, and I'll say it again. Great minds think alike. We both had the same Idea to come and visit this toad today." She looked at the boy. "I guess this must be Harry Potter? Good. It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Potter, and I'm glad you're here. I'm sure you have your own things to discuss with this waste of effort."

Harry grinned, enjoying seeing Fudge quaking in fear. Ranma had recovered his surprise from the unexpected guests, and had again adopted the frightening frown and glowing aura he'd been projecting since they'd entered the building. "It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. I guess you're Sensei Kasumi and Akane's sister, Nabiki? And that means that you, " he turned ot face the Musk lord and swallowed his own tremor of fear as he studied the powerful and imposing figure " must be Lord Haabu. I am very happy to meet the two of you, and will gladly wait until you are done before taking my turn with the Minister."

"Do you know why I am here, Fudge?" Ranma asked, letting his dragon voice out, causing those in the office and the other waiting room to shiver on a bone deep level.

"I have no idea, Ranma, was it?" Fudge replied before letting out a whimper of pain as Xo Me appeared behind him and slapped the back of his balding head. He turned to glare at the Elder who scowled at him.

"You will address my Lord with the proper respect, or I will cut out your tongue, child." she demanded. "I believe according to your customs, he is to be addressed as either Lord Ranma, or your Majesty. Any other form of address is an insult from a worm such as you to he."

Fudge held his remark and turned away from the horrible visage to face the foursome. "I am sorry, Lord Ranma. What I and the Ministry do to ensure the safety of the students of Hogwarts and the well being of the wizarding population has nothing to do with you."

Ranma just raised an eyebrow, a trick he'd copied from Nabiki. "That is were you are in error, Corny. Anything that hinders my being able to reach my Council in Angwan is my business. Your reading and blocking mail into Hogwarts is a violation of international law. As a representative of my people and ruler of the Council of the Three Tribes, I and those I travel with are granted diplomatic immunity. That means that we can not be held responsible for any crimes we might commit and that we are to have secure, unhindered access to means to communicate with the home government. You have overstepped your bounds by interfering and not allowing my mail to reach my council. You have interfered in the running of my classes, something that I was promised I would have full control over. Your servant, Umbridge, has used cruel and possibly illegal means to punish students at the school for simply disagreeing with your pronouncements and statements. This, I can no longer tolerate. It is time for you to face the truth, before something really big happens. This Voldemort that you are so scared of has returned. It is time for you to stop trying to protect your own interests and to realize that the people are only safe if they are aware of the truth, not your idolized and sanitized version of reality." 1

Fudge blinked. From what Umbridge and his other spies at Hogwarts had told him, Ranma Saotome might be a powerful fighter, and an animagus of some skill with having a dragon form and the ability to shift into a woman, but he was not much of a thinker or speaker. He used very crude, not vulgar, but very low brow language and didn't seem overly bright or focused on anything but these so called martial arts. This person before him was nothing like the brash, arrogant youth he'd been described. "I don't know what you are talking about. Delores Umbridge is a kind, caring woman who would never harm the children put under her care. She would never punish any who did not deserve it."

Harry snorted, one hand going to the back of the other and tracing a pattern that had been worn into his skin due to the fat toad's 'care'.

"That is as idiotic a statement as I've heard from you yet, Fudge." the young wizard spat, emboldened by the company he was with. "Umbridge is nothing but a power hungry tyrant who takes joy in causing the students pain. She has terrorized the entire school, and cozies up to the children of known Death Eaters, given them special awards and powers to give detention and take points from others. The only reason that any one is still actually learning anything at the school is because she's been afraid of Ranma here."

"Now those are unfounded accusations young man. All known death eaters were imprisoned. There is no proof that any parents of students at Hogwarts are now, or have been Death Eaters. The only former death eater running free is Severus Snape."

"What about Lucius Malfoy? Durmstrang's headmaster? The senior Nott, Goyle, Crabbe, Parkinson? What about them? They were death eaters." Harry stated with real venom in his voice.

"Now it was proved that those poor people where only acting under the Imperious curse. They were being controlled by He-Who-Must-Not-be-Named. They couldn't fight the spell. It's too hard to fight off." Fudge exclaimed in denial.

Harry snorted. "That's a load of shite if I've ever heard one. I've had the Imperious placed on me, Fudge. It's not that hard to fight and you can't make someone, especially someone who is as powerful as Malfoy and the others supposedly are, do something they absolutely refuse to do. If it had been on them, they could have fought it enough not to kill, torture and maim muggle-born witches and wizards. But they didn't. Because they didn't want too, which then shows that the Imperious curse didn't matter. They wanted to hurt muggles and muggle-borns, the curse would only have taken away their restraint. Like if you drank too much or took drugs."

"That's preposterous! The Imperious Curse is able to make you do anything the caster wants you to do. That is why it is one of the Unforgivable spells. There is no fighting it. You might be able to hold off for a short time, but if the caster has enough power, then you will give in and be under his control."

Ranma interrupted before Harry could fight the minister's claim. "As interesting as this is, it's not my concern right now." he'd taken a moment to confer with Nabiki while the wizards argued and Nabiki had filled him in on the news from home. "I am here to tell you Fudge that you will stop interfering in Angwan business and the running of Hogwarts, or I will remove you."

The portly man sputtered at the threat. "Remove me? Remove ME? You don't have the standing to remove me from office!" He leapt shakily to his feet and tried to glare at the foreign intruder.

Ranma's face became a mask of rage. "Whoever said I would remove you from office? I was talking about removing you from Life."

Fudge paled and collapsed to a heap in his chair.

Ranma slammed the end of his staff dong again, once more shaking the entire wing of the Ministry. "Hear this, and hear it well Cornelius Fudge. I, Ranma Saotome, Cold Dragon of Nerima, Lord of Angwan, son of samurai and warriors make this promise: Anymore interference in my affairs or the affairs of my allies will result in open war between the lands of Angwan, Nihon(which you know as Japan), China, The Austral-Asian Confederation of Wizards, against the British Ministry. The war will continue until you are removed from power, by one means or another, and a competent and fair minded person is placed in control of this corrupt bureaucracy. All those who oppose you will be welcome in the stated lands, including those you name Death Eaters, for they at least are fighting for something they have faith in, not just their own selfish gain of wealth and fame. Should you choose to ignore these warnings, then I will go to this Lord Voldemort himself and make a deal with him. I will give him control of the British and European wizarding worlds, so long as he controls his followers and stops the torture of muggles and muggle born."

Harry waited for Ranma to finish and glide out of the room, followed by Nabiki and Haabu. Xo Me remained, standing near the young wizard. "And I'll go to Voldemort as well, Minister. There are two things he'd love to have happen: either he and his Death Eaters kill me, or I become his servant. If you don't get Umbridge out of Hogwarts and take away those stupid edicts, then I will go to him and offer to help him take over myself." Harry spun and left, being followed by the silent Elder who cackled with glee.

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So was it worth the wait?

1 Some might wonder about Ranma really making this speech. Well, thanks to the Pearl of Wisdom Ranma touched in one of the chapters of Comes the Cold Dragon( the source of inspiration for this fic), he's grown up a lot. He just doesn't show it in every day life, since it's a part of his philosophy to never or only rarely show what you are truly capable of. It's part of the founding statements of the Anything Goes style to only fight at a level just enough to beat your opponents but make it close enough that they will be eager to fight you again.


	29. Section 29

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies.

I feel a warning is appropriate. There is a mild reference, very mild reference, to potential incest and non traditional sexual relations.

Here's chapter 29 of Magic vs. MA.

I'm surprised actually that no one has asked what Voldy wants with that Caldwell guy. Isn't anyone noticing the little things that might come up later? Any questions, email me at with Q and A or the title of any of my stories as the subject matter. Having connection problems at home, but can get on when needed.

anything inside alligator brackets is thought like this , anything in quotes is spoken, fancy bracketslike these is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others.

Okay, for my stories, its Tofu(given) Ono(family) names. The use of his given name in calling him by title(either doctor or sensei) is a sign of both comfort and respect. Doc Tofu, Tofu-sensei, it's an attempt to both show a level of being comfortable with his presence and respect for his position.

Merry Holidays, whichever may apply to you and yours.

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The group was silent until they exited the office, the twin glowing and floating forms of Ranma and Haabu flanking a stone faced Nabiki causing even the staunchest Ministry guards to flinch and let them pass unhindered. They left behind a sheet of frost along the floor, and air almost too cold to breath, reminding a few poor well traveled souls of the condition that had become known as the Dementor effect. They left via the main entrance this time, and silently entered the waiting limo, which had drawn curious gazes from both muggle and wizard alike when it had pulled up empty in front of the plain wall.

Once the car pulled out, again being lead by the large SUV bearing Minto and Raimu, Nabiki turned to face her new travelling companions. Ranma and Harry had slid into the limo, while Taro had joined the Musk and the Elder in the more . . . spacious vehicle.

"What are you doing here Saotome? Shouldn't you be at that fancy school learning how to wave that toothpick around." Her harsh tone and almost accusatory expression nearly caused Harry to go for his wand, but he held the impulse in check and was grateful when his sensei simply grinned that immense infectious grin of his and chuckled. He was shocked when the older boy leaned across the gap and gave the cold faced woman a somewhat passionate kiss.

"I missed you too, Nabchan." Ranma said after greeting his sister-in-law. He turned to face the white haired figure sitting next to her, shifting into his female form and leaning over and kissing Haabu with the same expression of passion as he'd shared with Nabiki in his male form. He shifted back into his male form and leaned back. "I'm here because of that fat idiots stupid rules that are endangering the students at the school."

Harry was totally lost. He'd gathered from the little display in Fudge's office, that the woman they were facing must be Akane's other sister, Nabiki. He could guess that the imposing man with her must be her husband, Prince Haabu. But the way in which Ranma was greeting them seemed odd to him. He didn't think that in-laws greeted each other with kisses that would cause most bystanders to blush. He knew his cheeks were rosy and his glasses a little steamed.

He gulped as the older man leaned forward in his seat, a slow, nearly cold smile spreading across his aristocratic features. "It's good to see you again, Brother. It's been a long time since we've had a chance to walk the waves." Those cold, calculating eyes turned to Harry, and the young wizard shivered as he took note of the nearly reptilian eyes. "Who is your friend? I think your greeting might have upset him. He might be thinking that you are being unfaithful to Akane."

Harry tried to stutter a denial, but was unable to do more then squeak out some mindless syllables. Those eyes, he thought to himself. So much like Voldemort's.

Ranma blinked and glanced at his new friend. He totally forgotten that Harry didn't understand just how complex the relationships between the two married couples were. As if Akane and Nabiki could hide their little chat from either of us he thought to himself. Haabu and I knew about their little plan almost as soon as they finished thinking it up. Not that either of us are really against it. I love Akane more then anything, and if I ever loose her, I know I'd try to join her. Knowing that there are others who love me, and care for me in a similar manner to her would help me get past the initial pain of her loss. It would never fully go away until I'm able to join her again, but having Haabu and Nabiki to love me and help me heal would keep me going. I no longer fear admitting that I love either of them enough to stay alive for them and to love either or both of them. Akane helped me get over my fear of admitting my emotions, and that is part of why she'll always be the foundation of my heart, even though I know that Nabiki and Haabu are the walls and supports. 

"Harry, I know this might look weird to you, but the four of us have a rather . . . unusual relationship that few people will ever be able to understand. I am not now, nor would I ever, cheat or be unfaithful to Akane. Without Akane, I am nothing. But just because I love her, doesn't mean there aren't other people that mean near as much to me. Akane is my wife, my husband, the future mother and father of my children. Nothing but death can change that."

"What my somewhat confusing brother is trying to say, " stated Nabiki, also at ease with the odd four way love affair between the two couples, "Is the four of us love each other, with no boundaries. Ranma loves me, I love Haabu, Haabu loves Akane, Akane love Ranma. We feel no shame for this, for there is no reason to feel ashamed about love. If Ranma had not married Akane, and I not married Haabu, then likely Akane would have married Haabu, and I Ranma. Or Ranma and Haabu would have married each other. And if Akane and I were not sisters, we too might have eventually wed. We all know this and accept it." Her voice had started in the same cold tones that she'd spoken with in the office, but had warmed considerably as she spoke. "You are aware that Ranma is a dragon? Do you know what that means? He will live a very, very long life. As will Haabu, who is descended from a line of dragons, and has recently master his heritage and transformed to his full dragon state. He too will live the life of a Dragon. Akane herself is working towards reaching that state. The three of them will long outlive me, and it is a great comfort to me to know that Haabu will not live his life alone. He will have people to love him and support him when I am long gone." Her eyes sparkled for a moment. "The only regret I have is that I am unlikely to be there to see what kind of a hellion any child of Ranma's and Haabu's will be."

Harry blinked and looked from his sensei to the other man, who flashed a wink and then seemed to shimmer, reappearing as a very attractive female version of himself with pink highlights in her glorious white hair. "You. ... you're cursed like Ranma is too!" he managed to stutter out, while trying not to ogle the white haired woman.

The woman's face softened for a moment before settling into a pleasant, but almost blank expression. "Something like that, yes. Thought few of us really consider it a curse anymore. I am not as accepting of this form as Ranma and Akane are of theirs, but they and Nabiki are helping me to gain that acceptance." The woman shifted back into the powerfully build male form, and Harry finally noticed that there had been no change in the underlying aura surrounding the Dragon Prince.

"Stop teasing him, you two. Nabs, this is Harry Potter. Apparently, he's considered among wizards a lot like some people think of me." Ranma stated with no false modesty. He was the best, or one of the top three any way, and he wasn't ashamed to talk about his skill level. He had outgrown the false confidence that had been a form of arrogance his father had inflicted in him, but he took no pains to pretend to be less then he was. "Though he's only been doing magic since he was 11. He's a celebrity among his people. Everyone knows who he is. There've even been a number of books written about his life. And like me, he's had problems dealing with those people supposedly in charge. He's here because he knows more about magic then I do and because he knows more about the current threats facing the world from the magical end of things." Ranma frowned and studied his family. "Why are you here? With Haabu and Xo Me of all people."

"We haven't heard anything for you in a while, and got tired of all our messages being returned without your acknowledgement. They'd all been open and presumably read by someone, but not by you. The first few times, there were attempts to reply and gather information sent back, but that didn't last long, maybe 2 times, since it was obviously not you that was replying. So I went to the Council and proposed a trip to visit the British Minister, with letters and credentials from the Asian Wizarding Council and from the leader of Japan's wizarding population to try and find out why he'd tried to interfere in our reaching you." Nabiki smiled the cold smile she used on her business victi... partners. "Imagine my surprise when I learned that the Empress is the leader of the Wizarding Council in Asia. Any way, I was outlining a trip to come here and complain about the interference to Fudge when a messenger came in with some bad news."

"What now? Is Saffron still bothering the female staff?" Ranma asked in a bored tone.

"We wish it was that simple, Brother." Haabu stated. "But sadly, something quite a bit more perilous happened."

"Tell me." Ranma stated, his voice taking on a bit of draconic rumble that shook Harry, who'd been following the conversation quietly.

"Saffron took his most loyal followers, subverted some Musk and possibly some Amazons and left the island. There was a bit of a struggle, as several Amazon warriors were . . . violated before they were killed and their bodies mutilated. He also left a sign of where he was going." Haabu stated, his hand squeezing his wife's thigh as he struggled to control his own draconic temper.

"What sign?" Ranma asked.

"A black cloak with a white mask and a mark. A mark of a skull with a serpent." Nabiki replied, taking comfort in her husbands touch. She'd insisted on seeing the bodies of the slain warriors, and had been deeply affected by the horrors done to their bodies by Saffron and his lackeys.

"Voldermort." Harry whispered, his guts twisting in his belly. "This Saffron has joined Voldemort."

Ranma's face became a stone mask, his aura flaring into existence lighting the interior of the limo with a harsh blackish red glow. "Saaaaaaaffffroooooonnnnn..." he growled, his voice going to full dragon depth. The force of the voice, and the utter hatred and anger behind it, seemed to shake the whole vehicle. The windows in the back shattered, as did the moon roof. The glasses and bottles in the bar lining one side of the car exploded. Not even Harry's glasses where spared, as the oft repaired items were cracked once again.

Harry gulped and tried to ignore the shivering of his body and the ache in his bones caused by the tones of Ranma's voice. "I'm guessing this is a big problem?" he asked timidly, unsure if he really wanted to know, but not willing to risk learning the truth too late.

Ranma seemed to deflate before Harry's very eyes. One hand came up to rub tiredly at his face, while Nabiki and Haabu grasped the other. "He's one of the few people in the world I don't know if I could beat in a straight up fight. He isn't the most skilled fighter, but he's one of the strongest, and since he's a Phoenix, he has the ability to regenerate and heal himself as quickly as you hurt him. The first, only time I fought him, we destroyed most of a mountain. I only won because Akane sacrificed herself giving me a chance to finish a rather complicated move. And because he wasn't fully finished transforming. He can form balls of fire the size of my dragon form and can take a solid punch as well as Ryoga or Haabu. He is basically immortal, going into a sort of rebirth whenever needed and quickly growing back to adulthood."

Harry considered his friend's words, wondering at the almost fearful way Ranma was speaking. Then something Ranma said struck him. "Wait, you said he's a phoenix? You mean like you're a dragon, right?"

"No, I mean like he's the king of Phoenix. The first, the source, the beginning of the Phoenix race. I saw Dumbledore's little friend, Fawkes? Fawkes is nothing compared to Saffron. Fawkes is to Saffron as a ... as a kitten is to a Saber Tooth Tiger. Not just for size, but for magical abilities and intelligence as well. Saffron has ruled his people for more then 10 000 years. You once told me that Voldemort is seeking the means to become immortal? Saffron can make that happen. We have to stop them. We have to find a way to kill Saffron. Permanently. Before he can make Voldemort immortal." Ranma stated grimly, staring Harry straight in the eyes.

The young wizard, known by many names, but who preferred to answer to one, swallowed deeply. He was again being pushed out of his depth, and knew that there was nothing he could do, but dig himself in deeper. "I swear on my magic, Ranma. I will do everything in my power to help you stop Saffron from making Voldemort immortal. And in finding a way to kill him so that he can't come back." A chill ran down his spine as he realized that he'd just committed himself and all that he was to finding the way to take the life of another living being.

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Voldemort smiled cruelly as his new ally launched a massive blast of flame towards the muggle orphanage that had once imprisoned him. The building had been long abandoned, as he'd already attacked it before during his first rise. But he enjoyed watching it's harsh stone facade crumble and melt and scatter it's debris among his death eaters. It was too bad that he'd been unable to track down the list of former employees and patients that he'd kept. But it had been lost during the years he'd been incorporeal.

"Well done, Lord Saffron. I have long wanted to see this moment, but other matters had taken precedence. It was an ingenious idea to have our troops undergo this task of destroying the village and slaughtering the muggles while we placed a visit to my . . . former home." he finished with a sneer, the sheer hate in his voice causing even his staunchest supporters to quiver in fear.

"It was a successful day for all, Lord Voldemort." the Phoenix lord stated, his wings capped close to his body and flame still flickering around his form. "My warriors and your Death Eaters are beginning to work well together. Though there are still some from both sides that seem to refuse to acknowledge each others usefulness. A few more attacks like this, and that attitude should be gone for good."

Voldemort nodded. If he'd been capable of it, he might have felt a momentary sense of companionship, maybe even friendship with his ally. But he'd long since burned out all emotion but hate and greed. He had no room in his hateful being for any of the lesser emotions. "The talents of our servants do seem to meld together well, creating a more powerful force then either of us possess without the other." he admitted, though he privately thought his Death Eaters to be more powerful then the mixed forces of Saffron's.

Saffron himself was also thinking of something along those lines, though he considered his warriors more powerful then the pathetic wizards under Voldemort's control. The two shared near identical evil grins as they continued to plot out various strategies for their future endeavors against he rest of the world, and how best to gain advantage over each other once the rest of the world had submitted to their rule.

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Akane smiled as she took a sip of her drink. She was enjoying her time at Hogwarts more then she'd thought she would. At first, she'd been against coming here, since it meant delaying the start of their family, but now that she was actually here, she was grateful that they'd come. She found the subject more fascinating then she'd thought, and felt a small, secret surge of pride at how well she was doing, especially compared to Ranma. She lover her husband more then anything in the world, but it was still annoying to her how easily most things came to him. To find something that he had absolutely no talent for was refreshing and gave her a sense of equality with him that had been lacking since he'd begun actually taking his school work seriously and started doing as well as she in most subjects.

She watched idly as the Hufflepuff team went through a voluntary Quidditch practice. She had little interest in the game, but Kasumi and Tofu were enthralled by the people buzzing around on brooms chasing and knocking around the various size and color balls. Kasumi was at a point in her pregnancy were some days she had an overabundance of energy and others, she felt slow and lethargic. Today was a mildly lethargic day, so the two sisters were content to sit by and watch as members of the Hufflepuff team tried to show Tofu some of the finer points of flying.

"So how do you think Ranma and Harry-san are doing with Minister Fudge, imouta-chan?" Kasumi asked, her eyes tracking her husband as he tried to recapture some of his lost youth.

"Well, I don't know about Harry, but I'm really hoping that Taro is keeping Ranma's temper in check. It wouldn't be good if he lost control with that idiot and blew up the Ministry offices."

Kasumi turned to Akane and raised an eyebrow. "You are hoping Taro-san keeps Ranma's temper in check? Then who would keep Taro's temper from being unleashed?"

Akane giggled as one of the balls came close to knocking Tofu off his broom. "I guess that's where Harry comes in. Maybe putting the three of them together will help keep each other from snapping."

Kasumi turned back in time to see Tofu bat another of the oddly shaped balls with one of the bats. "I just hope that they are able to solve some of the problems that woman is causing. I have some questions I would like to ask Auntie, and Tofu needs to get in touch with some of his colleagues for more detailed anatomy maps for the advanced group."

"How are your students coming along? We have some who are almost naturals." Akane said as she finished her tea and poured another glass.

"There are a few who still have trouble with some of the flips and landings. But most are getting a firm grasp of the basics. I think the hardest thing for them to do is to trust each other to be there to catch one another."

"Do you know who is going to take part in the tournament?" Akane asked, stirring the ice in her drink with the straw.

"Not really. There are a few who are a bit ahead of others, but no one is really showing any outstanding abilities. Is there any particular Gryffindor students who have a natural flare for the Arts?"

"There are a few, actually. There are these two brothers, Colin and Dennis Creevy. Then there's George Weasley, one of the Weasley twins. And Hermione Granger had done martial arts before she even learned that magic was real. One or two others might be ready when the time comes, but those four are really ahead of the rest."

They watched as the small group of flyers, about a third of the team, came to a formation landing, while Tofu struggled to land softly. They thanked their elder and then went to put away the equipment, while Tofu walked stiffly over towards the two waiting women.

"So why are you too lovely women waiting for this old man instead of off at Hogsmead, teasing the young boys with your astounding beauty?" Tofu asked before trying to gallantly take a seat with them, though he was a little sore in places from the ride.

"Well, why would I want boys, when I have a handsome, older husband who has very talented . . . hands." Kasumi said with a bit of huskiness in her voice. The advanced state of pregnancy had done little to curb her desire for her husband's touch.

Akane watched with only a twinge of envy as Tofu leaned over and kiss his wife while placing a hand on her swollen stomach. She had hoped that by this time, she would be in Kasumi's position and Ranma in Tofu's, but they would have to wait until the situation with Voldemort was resolved, or at least that they were able to help teach the students enough to increase their chance of survival. "I suppose we could have gone with the others to visit the town, but Kasumi wanted to stay and watch you try out the game, and it's no fun there unless Ranma's with me. Besides, Hermione and Ron were going on a date and wanted to be alone, and most of the others are a bit shy around us since we are technically their teachers, even if we have classes with them at times. Except for the few who hang out with Harry, Ron and Hermione. They aren't as awestruck as most of the others."

"How are you and Ranma doing with the lessons, Akane-chan? I'm finding it quite fascinating. I had no idea how pervasive magic really is around the world." Tofu said as he continued to caress the swell containing his child.

"I'm enjoying, but Ranma's only putting a token effort into the class work. I think he's kind of fed up with magic after everything that has happened to him-to us in the past few years. He's only interested in learning how to stop it from making our lives, and the lives of our children any worse. That's why he really only pays attention in the Defense class and in the Charms class. He doesn't care about any of the rest. Except of course your course, onichan, oneechan."

"Well, I suppose you can't fault him for his concern. He's had a lot to handle over the last year or so. Becoming a dragon, accepting his full femininity, over coming his nekophobia, and trying hard to get his grades up to be accepted at college. All that, with teaching you the master path of your family arts is a lot to handle for anyone to handle, Akane."

"I'm actually surprised that you seem to be handling everything so well, Akane-chan." Tofu said when Kasumi finished.

"Me?" Akane asked in surprise. "I haven't had much to deal with, except for Ranma."

Tofu chuckled, amused as always about how little people understood of their own concerns while being able to acknowledge the concerns of others. "Akane, you've had as much to handle as Ranma. Not only do you have to help him with his problems and needs, but you too have gone through changes. You've taken on the curse of your own free will, you've been working harder then ever to try and catch up to Ranma's level at martial arts, you've had to deal with a whole new world here in England compared to what you are used to, and still you've been able to keep your grades up, learn how to be both a husband and wife to Ranma, shown a marked improvement in cooking, and are working very hard at being the best you can be with this whole new area of learning magic. Whether you know it or not, you have as much to juggle and handle as Ranma does and yet neither of you seem to notice your own troubles."

"I guess you're right. When you list it out like that, I guess I have had a lot to deal with. But having Ranma and being with him, makes it all worth it. Nothing else matters except that Ranma loves ME, not any of the others. He married ME, not because of our drunken idiot fathers, but because he loves me and I love him. Everything else, school, the Art, cooking, magic, all of it. It's all just details, just a bunch of useless, unimportant details." Akane looked up into the clear sky, snuggling deeper into the warm clothes she'd worn on the chilly day. "I just hope that he doesn't have any problems in London with only Harry and Taro with him. He's powerful, and skilled, but he's still a baka and makes dumb mistakes sometimes."

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Voldemort was just finished casting yet another pain curse at the matronly muggle woman that had been brought before him when a soft pop and slight shifting in the air nearby alerted him to the arrival of a visitor. He silenced the muggle's screams by the simplest means: He slit her throat and watched with glee as she choked to death on her own blood. Once the woman had stopped twitching and her eyes glazed over, he turned to the arrival, not surprised to find one of several of his Ministry agents kneeling patiently for him to acknowledge their presence.

"What do you want, Weasel?" he asked, using the name he'd given the agent so that none of the nearby Death Eater or warriors could recognize who was kneeling before him.

"My Lord, I come bearing news. Harry Potter was seen exiting the offices of the Ministry and is still in London, though he is remaining in muggle areas." the hooded figure remained motionless, knowing that his master's pleasure could lead to his death as easily as his master's anger.

"Excellent! (1) What of his guardians? Who travels with him? Dumbledore would never let the boy travel so far without some protection." Voldemort was already making plans. Thanks to his resurrection using Potter's blood, he would be able to track the boy anywhere they went unless a powerful masking spell was place over him. This was as likely as not, for London was a honeycomb of crisscrossing magical spells that had been in place for centuries.

"There are no Aurors nor are there any Order members, my Lord. He travels with no magical protection, or at least none that matters. He is in the company of a group of foreigners. It seems they had meetings with Fudge concerning his policies regarding Hogwarts. I was not able to get the details of the meeting, but while the magical signatures of the group are small, I did catch a glimpse of those who seem to be in charge."

"What of them?" Voldemort asked, still working on a series of plans to find and kill his enemy.

"My Lord, thought they reek of magic, they have little magical abilities them selves. Thought two for them were somehow levitating themselves while casting some sort of light spell around themselves. They seemed to float along the ground and were glowing, one blue, the other almost white. I didn't here them speak, as I couldn't get any closer without revealing myself to them on the rest of the crowd. They stepped out of the Ministry and into a waiting muggle transport which then speed off. I wasn't sure what to do next, so I came to see what orders you had next. The group didn't seem to care about hiding from muggles, as they simply walked through the illusion charms and continued to glow and float, even while surrounded by muggles."

Voldemort started cackling for a few moments before turning to face his soldiers. "Lestrange, Nott, Avery. Take your Death Eaters and the same number of Phoenix warriors and start searching London. Find Harry Potter and his associates and report to me their location. I wish to finish a conversation that we had started that he interrupted. Go. 1000 Galleons to the one that finds them, and 10000 to the one who kills any of his associates."

As the named members left to gather their forces, he turned back to face his spy. "Go back to your position, Weasel. Find out as much as you can without appearing suspicious to your superiors. I want to know who they were and what business they had with Fudge."

"At once, my Lord." the cloaked figure bowed lower and stood to begin his journey, pausing at the entrance as his Lord's voice lashed out again.

"Oh, and Weasel?"

The figure turned and bowed deeply to his master. "yes, my lord?"

"Crucio!" whispered the dark lord with a flick of his wand. He held the curse on his servant for several moments, taking pleasure and pride in the screams made by the writhing mass of flesh. "Next time, learn their destination before returning to me."

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In the shadows on the far side of the dark lord's throne room, a huddled figure watched and listened to the rumors going through the room. So Ranma and Haabu are both in London? It seems I might wish to visit the city myself, if there's enough there to warrant both of their going. the figure slide quietly out of the room and through the corridors to one of several exits out of the compound.

It was midday and in order to fit in, the figure hid the large, voluminous cloak, revealing that it was a tall, lanky man wearing thick glasses.

Mu Tsu glared at the dank atmosphere and wished that he could see the sun. He hated pretending to serve either of those dark creatures. With a sigh, he quickly moved beyond the wards preventing someone from Apparating, and then returned to his hidey-hole not far from Hogwarts where the person who'd dragged him into this mess waited for him.

He appeared in the small cave outside of the Hogwarts wards, and looked around in the darkness for some sign of his employer. A spark lit in the darkness, and he watched as the glow intensified enough to silhouette the tiny figure pulling in a lung-full of pungent smoke.

"You were right, Happosai. Ranma did go with Harry to London, and there is a spy who reported it to Voldemort."

Happosai cackled madly with glee. "I knew I was right, boy. You don't have to tell me that. But what of the spies that Voldemort has at the school. Have you learned of them?"

"Not much, just that some of the ones you suspected before we arrived are indeed working for that foul creature. But I have sensed several times another force working behind the scenes, leaking information regarding what some have come to call The Nerima Wrecking Crew. And those we've fought in the past."

"Saffron has already joined Voldemort, this I know. But there will be others, it's difficult to tell who. I suspect that with enough searching, the Kuno's might be drawn into the conflict." Happosai smacked Mu Tsu in the head with his pipe as the formerly blind boy snorted at the thought of Kodaichi and Tatewaki Kuno being a threat. "Don't smirk boy. They are more dangerous then you think, and in ways you couldn't imagine. Money is as important a weapon in the coming war as anything else, and there are few with the ability to match the Kuno family head on in a monetary fight. They are an Old Family, not of the Tribes, but from a long line of wizards. I suspect that the current generation is quite familiar with the magical politics. The boy has gotten his hands too easily on long lost items of magical origins, and the girl too skilled with those concoctions of hers to not have had instruction from a powerful and talented Potions Master."

The aged master took another long pull on his pipe, blowing the smoke out in concentric rings. "Don't discount any of the enemies you've fought in the past, boy. Magic has away of making even the most weak willed and ignorant into a dangerous foe."

Mu Tsu nodded and waited. When the ancient man spoke no more, he turned and left, stepping out into the bright sun and a thin layer of crisp snow. He looked around, then extended his ki senses, and finding no one within range, he leapt up and willed himself to transform, easily slipping into what his Transfiguration instructor was insisting on calling an Animagus form.

He simply called it his cursed form of a duck.

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(1) the name is not a clue as to the person's identity. just because he(or she) is called weasel, doesn't mean it's a weasley. doesn't mean it's not a weasley either, but don't ASSUME that it's Percy or whoever simply because of the name.


	30. Section 30

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies. Though some of what's in my head belongs to the aliens who implanted their knowledge directly into my mind.

Here's chapter 30 of Magic vs. MA.

I'm surprised actually that no one has asked what Voldy wants with that Caldwell guy. Isn't anyone noticing the little things that might come up later? Any questions, email me at with Q and A or the title of any of my stories as the subject matter. Having connection problems at home, but can get on when needed.

anything inside alligator brackets is thought like this , anything in quotes is spoken, fancy bracketslike these is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others.

Does anyone have a list of all the sorting? like a list of all the names used and their houses? I need names for all the houses.

Okay, for my stories, its Tofu(given) Ono(family) names. The use of his given name in calling him by title(either doctor or sensei) is a sign of both comfort and respect. Doc Tofu, Tofu-sensei, it's an attempt to both show a level of being comfortable with his presence and respect for his position.

Hoping every one had a happy holidays and a good start to a new year. according to the most popular calendar currently in use, anyway.

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Ranma winced and twisted his neck this way and that to relieve some of the tension that had been building up since Nabiki had told him about Saffron's defection. It had bothered him even in his dragon form during the flight back to Hogwarts. They'd had a light meal with Nabiki's group at an Indian place not far from the airport, exchanging news and details that had not gotten through with the mail problem, as well as more personal details that they hadn't felt comfortable putting in letters. Haabu had heartily approved of the new name Taro had taken himself, as had Mint and Lime, who had taken the older Chinese boy and gone off for a more . . . raucous meal then they'd be able to enjoy in the presence of their king and emperor.

Ranma had given Nabiki the magically enhanced cellphone created by the Weasley Twins, and instructions on how to use it's less mundane features. Nabiki had questioned how to reach the twins, as they sounded like they might be approachable for future projects. Harry had grinned and given a condensed and censored version of some of their more ambitious and popular sales items.

Ranma smirked as he recalled the passing look of worry crossing over Haabu's face as he watched his wife start plotting to take over the world with the help of Weasley Wizarding Wheezies. He had a feeling that his dragonkin had reason to worry. Nabiki had always been ambitious, and being the 2nd most powerful woman in their country, and possibly 3rd or 4th most powerful person, depending on how you measure power, was likely just the beginning of her personal goals. She still hadn't given up the idea of starting and controlling the largest business empire in the history of the planet, and with him and Haabu's abilities backing, and her own incredible ability to track trends in stock markets, and now with the ingenious inventions of the Weasley twins, there would be little that could stop her from doing just that. Not even the tiny annoyance of a potential world wizarding war, and it's spilling into the muggle world.

He finally managed to crack his neck and sighed as some of the tightness was released. Akane had said she was going to Hogsmeade today with Tofu and Kasumi after Tofu spent some time goofing around with the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, so they were unlikely to be back yet. It was still relatively early, and few of the students who'd been granted permission to go to Hogsmeade had returned. Of course, that didn't matter much, since few in Gryffindor had been allowed as Umbridge banned most of the house from any kind of privileges. She had released all of Slytherin House from any sanctions, and quite a lot of Ravenclaw. She'd tried to find reason to continue punishing Hufflepuff, but most in that house were so agreeable that even she had been forced to let them go.

But she'd been able to find reason to punish the majority of Gryffindor, especially those closest to the Trio. In fact, only a few seventh years, and some first years had been allowed to go. The rest had been confined to the castle, and those who'd shown any spark of defiance to the old toad or support for Harry's group had been confined to their dorms.

Ranma's smirk grew wider, as he realized that he'd be able to shake them loose of the toad's control, at least for the most part. They'd gone back to see Fudge, though this time with a much different style. They'd been friendly and open, complimenting him on doing a fine job, and thus thoroughly confusing the incompetent boob. he agreed to their demands, however, and had written out orders to withdraw the majority of the changes, though he had insisted on keeping the practical magic ban in effect, as well as limiting certain student's activities. Ranma had agreed, though he had also made sure that there would no longer be any further interference aside from the few non-invasive edicts that had been passed. Sadly this meant that Harry was off the Quidditch team and unable to take part in any official school club, as well as having to serve several detentions for his more . . . defiant acts towards Umbridge. Like her or not, she was in a position of authority, and they couldn't afford to allow students t o feel they could freely get away with such behavior Even with a temporary placement such as Umbridge's.

Another concession that was made was that while Sirius would be allowed to have freedom to roam the castle, he would not be allowed to return as an instructor at the school until solid evidence could be found to corroborate the truth of the Trio's and Remus Lupin's statements regarding the continued existence of Peter Pettigrew. Harry had reluctantly agreed, but had demanded that Fudge prepare a public apology and open hearing to clear Sirius of all charges and to reimburse him in some manner for the suffering he'd had to endure during his wrongful imprisonment, should they find such evidence. Sirius would have to be under guard, but he'd have the freedom of the castle and grounds, as long as he didn't attempt to evade his watchers.

Again, Harry hadn't been too happy, and neither had Ranma, but it was a workable solution to the current situation, and one that would allow them keep from taking more drastic measures. Besides, Fudge had banned Harry and Sirius from taking part in any OFFICIAL SANCTIONED activities, he'd said nothing of Harry's HarHarTu study group. IN fact, with more free time, Sirius would even be able to help, since it would be Harry that would be teaching the other students, and Sirius had a legal right and responsibility to ensure that Harry was taught any family specific spells or dueling techniques. He was Harry's legal Godfather and should have been his guardian after his parents death, but unfortunately, he'd been captured and placed in Azkabhan before he could take those duties upon himself. Dumbledore had had no official standing to place Harry anywhere, especially since his parent's will had stated quite clearly that he was under no circumstance to be placed with Lily's relatives. Even if that meant placing Harry into the foster care system, which was not known for producing well adjusted people, he was not to be given to the care of Petunia and Vernon Dursley.

He'd learned from Fudge of all people that Dumbledore had been responsible for a great deal of the problems that had happened in his life. It was actually a ward Dumbledore himself had created and then given to Fudge that tracked Harry's usage of underage magic, but the device only worked when he was at Privet Drive. Since his wand was so old and had a phoenix feather core, it was not susceptible to the standard tracking spells used by the Ministry to monitor underage magic use, and even then, they could not track accidental or wandless magic without some other device to magnify the strength of the signal. There was no blood ward protection at the house, just a mild version of the fidelious charm that gave Dumbledore the chance to send people he chose to the house by giving them the address. He had to spend time at Privet Drive to allow the device Dumbledore had created time to reset itself to match the changes in his growing magical core.

Harry was gritting his teeth, and with the decree to release Sirius in his hand, made his way directly towards his godfather's chambers. Reaching the door and the burly 7th year students, he simply glared at them until they started shifting uncomfortably. The pair were well aware that aside from their sheer size, they were no match for Harry's magical abilities despite having nearly 2 years more education and practice. And that wasn't including their entire pre-Hogwarts life in magical homes.

Finally, one of them grew bold enough in his authority to be there to turn his confused frown into a look of contempt. "What are you doing here Potter? The prisoner is under guard and allowed no visitors. Especially not known liars and criminals such as yourself."

"Stuff it, Hinkel." Harry said calmly, ignoring the angry flash that crossed the older youth's face. "I'm here with an official notice from Minister Cornelius Fudge that Sirius Black is permitted to have free usage of Hogwarts facilities. He is no longer confined to his chambers and may roam the grounds at will, so long as he is accompanied by a Ministry approved guard. While he can not resume his role as professor, he is permitted to spend private time with his legal ward, one Harry James Potter, in order to instruct said ward in the proper family duties and roles." Harry passed the parchment to the other guard, ignoring Hinkel again. "This is a copy. Sensei Ranma Saotome is currently delivering the original to Secretary Umbridge."

The two looked over the parchment, but the seal of the Ministry was a mini monochrome image of the current Minister which confirmed the details written on the parchment and swore the oath binding the image's model to be magically bound to it's statements. They stood aside and unlocked the door, allowing Harry into the room containing his godfather.

"Hey Padfoot, what's got you so depressed?" he asked, as he noted the frail seeming form of his guardian rocking back and form in a curled position in the corner furthest from the door.

"Harry?" the cracked voice asked. Two dark points of light appeared through the shaggy bangs. "Are you real, boy? This isn't another trick by the Dementors?"

"No, Sirius. It's really me. I've got some news for you." Harry said gently, not wanting to startled or scare the broken shell of a man that was his godfather. He'd only ever seen Sirius looking so distraught their first real meeting at the Shrieking Shack when he'd learned the truth about Peter's betrayal. "Come on, let's grab a fresh change of clothes and bring you down to the Teacher's Lounge for a nice bath.

Sirius blinked and struggled up to his feet. He allowed himself to lean on Harry as the pair made their way from his bare room to the warm confines of the Teacher's bath just several meters away.

Harry chuckled as he helped his ailing godfather to slip into the scented foamy waters of the large tub. "Once you're up and able, I'll let you know what happened on my trip to London with Ranma."

The older man nodded, his eyes struggling to remain open as he felt the first real warmth he'd endured in a week. "I want to here all about it, pup. Once my head clears."

Harry nodded and tossed the rags Sirius had been wearing into the trash, while making sure the clothes they'd brought would be clean.

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Albus frowned as he studied the note one of his many spies in the Ministry had given him. Somehow, young Mr. Potter and Saotome had managed to get all the way to London and into the Ministry itself to force a meeting with Cornelius. Oddly enough, their meeting with the Minister had coincided with a group of foreigners with little magical strength, but radiant power had stormed the Ministry and into Fudge's office for their own meeting. The spy reported that members from both groups recognized each other and they had left together. Some time later, young Harry, Ranma, a tall oriental man with white hair, and a dark haired oriental woman had returned and again stormed into Fudge's office.

The woman, from what the spy overheard was named Nabiki and was married to the white-haired man. She was also Ranma's sister, for she had called him brother several times. They had spoken at length to Cornelius, and the man had eventually conceded several points of their demands, including allowing Harry to train in private with Sirius. Though Harry had had to concede any rights to playing Quidditch or taking part in school activities.

"This will not do. Not at all." he muttered to himself while popping a Swedish berry into his mouth. He read further and nearly dropped the letter in shock. "He told him? How could Cornelius tell him? What is wrong with that man? How am I going to salvage the situation now?" he demanded of the air as he read of Harry's new knowledge of the truth of his guardianship, and the methods Dumbledore had employed to protect the boy. "I have to convince Harry that the tracking device was needed. And that despite his parents wishes, he was safest at the house of his only relatives, as the blood ties strengthened the fidelious charm and made it impossible for someone who might learn of his whereabouts without my permission from actually finding the home."

He sighed and placed the letter down on his desk, rubbing a frail hand over his tired face. "Well, old friend, what are we going to do now?" he asked, turning his head to regard his long time phoenix companion.

He gasped in surprise at what he saw. Fawkes was changing. His bright red, orange and blue plumage was falling off and being replaced by hideous black and blood red scaly feathers. Even bright, blue eyes turned dark and were soon pits of black with red iris'. The changed phoenix turned to look at him, and uttered a cry that blasted him backwards in the chair, knocking the whole thing to the ground. He slowly got to his feet, feeling every one of the many years of life he'd survived. He turned back to Fawkes in time to see his friend flap into the air and vanish in a bright flash of flame, leaving behind only the crumbling remains of his former plumage.

"This is a sign of great evil." the elderly wizard said to himself, stroking his beard. "No outside force but the magic of the Phoenix King is capable of causing such a transformation. But the Phoenix King is a legend, a myth. The Phoenix were created by an ancient coven of wizards, not by a single being. What danger have I missed?"

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so what do you think? any good?


	31. Section 31

I own only what's in my head. The rest belongs to various authors/producers/ and government agencies. Though some of what's in my head belongs to the aliens who implanted their knowledge directly into my mind.

PLEASE READ COMES THE COLD DRAGON in order to understand some of the background of the Ranma verse that I am using. Especially for the second section.

Here's chapter 31 of Magic vs. MA.

Any questions, email me at with Q and A or the title of any of my stories as the subject matter.

anything inside alligator brackets is thought like this , anything in quotes is spoken, fancy bracketslike these is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others.

When Voldemort or Harry are speaking and you see the brackets, then it's a parseltongue spell, or dialogue. Since I can't be bothered tomake up words, I'll just use some random letters unless they are actually speaking and not just casting a spell. Don't worry, I'll track which combo's I use and the effects of the desired spell, I might have similar non-parseltongue spells. In the AN at the end, you'll find a list of any Parseltongue spells and the effects, usually related to something some kind of snake can do.

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Despite Dumbledore's best intentions words of Fawkes departure and trasnformation spread rapidly throughout the school. It had taken an explanation from Harry and Hermione before Ranma was able to understand that the being under discussion was a true phoenix, not the Phoenix people his group were familiar with. Hermione had delved immediately into the books in the library, finding an ancient legend describing the origin of the mystical bird of flame. Ranma's mind immediately drew the connection between the Phoenix king in the legend, and the Phoenix Lord he'd battled. The transformation, according to Hermione, showed that the Phoenix king had drawn his children to his side for a coming battle, and with the form of the transformation, indicated that the king had sided with side of 'evil'.

Thanks to Nabiki, Ranma had already learned that Saffron had left the isle and joined Voldemort, but this confirmed that the Phoenix Lord had indeed given in to his darker side and turned his back on people and responsibilites. He'd likely joined Voldemort since he saw that as the only way to get his people back under his total control the way they had lived for countless centuries in that remote Chinese mountain range.

Ranma hadn't said anything to the group, though the group from Nerima knew the signifigance of having Saffron join with Voldemort. He'd held a small meeting, and for the first time since arriving at the magical school, Shampoo and Mouse had both shown their presence. Shampoo had been her usual bubble-headed self, trying to worm her way between Ranma and Akane. No one noticed the occassional look of disgust that crossed her face or the smirk as she listened to them worrying over Saffron's departure from Angwan and joining with the Dark Lord.

No one even noticed that instead of her usual skin bearing outfits, she was sporting a long sleeved(but still incredibly tight) cat suit. Or that every now and then, she would rub at her left forearm as though something was irritating her skin under the sleeve. In fact, so rarely had any of the Nerimans seen her, that they hadn't realized that she had taken to wearing similar outfits and had completely stopped wearing those short hemmed, sleeveless dresses she'd flaunted at them back in Nerima. Not even Khu Lon or Mu Tsu had noticed.

The little meeting broke up, leaving Ranma and Akane sitting together staring into the fire of their hearth.

Neither spoke for nearly an hour as they basked in the presence of their beloved spouse and considered what they had learned and accomplished in their short time at Hogwarts. Not only had they learned that magic was more pervasive then they'd thought, but they'd also learned that there were official government agencies dedicated to protecting those capable of performing magic, as well as hidding their existence from those who lacked the magical gift. The agencies had been created to protect both sides of the population, both the wizards and the non-magical people of the world. Experience had taught those in charge that the populace was unwilling to exists in cohabitation with those with gifts beyond their understanding and that those who'd been born or earned those gifts often looked down on and mistreated those with lesser abilities.

"Things are going to get worse, aren't they Ranma?" Akane asked in a soft voice that was barely audible over the crackling of the fire. "Others are going to side with Saffron and Voldemort? People who we might know, and maybe even consider friends?"

Ranma paused a moment before answering his wife. "Things always get worse before they get better, Akanechan. And while I might deny and wish that any of our friends would side with such evil beings as Saffron and Voldemort, I wouldn't be able to swear with absolute certainty that some of them might not be lured by the power and other temptations. I'm sure that Saffron and those that left with him had been studying us and learning what might temp and lead people to join them against us."

"I hate that we aren't able to trust even the people who we used to rely on to save our lives, Ranma. Right now, I know of only a few that I can absolutely trust not to turn on us, and it's limitted to my sisters, their husbands and your mother. Every one else, I don't know if I can trust them."

"As long as we stay together, we remain strong, Akane. As long as I have you, I can deal with anything else that happens. Come on, it's been a long day and I want to catch up on sleep. I have a test tomorrow, and I want to take the students for a trip into the forest." They rose and entered their room, allowing the fire to die down on its own, as they had developed the ability to pretty much ignore such minor concerns as a slight chill from the open window.

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_Ranma slowly opened his eyes as a light filled the sky. He looked around and realized imemdiately where he was. He could feel himself leaning against something both hard and soft, his body moving slightly as his backrest moved. He felt a pressure on his thighs and looked down, smiling at the large black furry head that rested there. He tickled the space between the triangular ears, his simle growing as the slumbering form purred at the contact. He looked around, wondering why he'd been brought to the Dreamworld._

_"Hi Ranma, long time no see." called a voice from above._

_His smile changed to a grin and he glanced up in time to see the origin of hte voice leap off the scale form that he was relaxing against. His eyes tracked the leap and he noted with pride the perfect landing._

_"Hello Ranko. What are you doing here? For that matter, why am I here right now?" he asked. "I mean, I thought I wouldn't see you and the others any more after I accepted my femininety and overcame my fear of cats."_

_Ranko chuckled and cuddled up to Ranma's side. Ranma's arm automatically went around the slim form he knew so well. "Just because I'm part of you now doesn't mean I won't coem out to talk to you when you need some help. And right now, you need my help."_

_"I guess I could use some one to talk to about what's going on." Ranma admitted._

_"So let's start with the big one. Saffron."_

_Ranma winced as fear shot through him at the mear mention of the Pheonix Lord's name. "I don't know what's going to happen. The last time we fought, neither of us was as powerful as we are now and we still destroyed a mountain. What will be destroyed if we fight now? What if ... what if I lose Akane again? I don't think I could take that, Ranko."_

_Ranko sighed and looked over the landscape. "I know you are scared of a repeat of the last itme you fought him, and how close you came to loosing her. I love her too, you know. How can't I? I am you, afterall."_

_Ranma's eyes were filled with tears as he considered his next words. "I'm worried about how she'll react if I ask her to stay away from the fight. I know that Saffron knows how much she means to me and I'm scared that he'll find some way to take her from the castle. I know that everyone keeps going on about how impossible it is for the Death Eaters to get into the school, but they are forgetting that Saffron and those idiots who went with him aaren't Death Eaters. All they need is for Voldemort and the Death Eaters to show them how to get to the school. There are none of these 'wards' set up to stop any of the Pheonix from flying in once they know the way. And there's too many places they can come into the grounds without being seen until it's too late."_

_Ranko nodded. Since she was only a physical representation of one aspect of Ranma's mind, she knew everything that he did. "And any Amazons or others could just walk up in the same manner."_

_"And I can't get them to understand. They just keep saying that the grounds and the school are unplottable and the wards will keep out those who aren't invited. But I've talked to Harry and the others and there's been a lot of uninvited people breaking into the school over the last few years. I don't trust magic, no matter what they keep saying."_

_"As much fun as it is to talk to you again, there's someone else you should talk about this to. Bring Akane here, Ranma. Talk to her. Let her know what you're scared of and ask her what she thinks. You're partners now, Ranma, and hiding things from her will just undermine your relationship."_

_"How do I bring her here, though? You said something before about my inviting others here once it was solid enough."_

_ Just think of her and call her name. Her mind will be drawn to our home. _

_Ranma looked over to the giant head of the dragon who'se side he was leaning against. The great head turned to be able to see the smaller figures pressed against it's side, it's long neck twisting and it's eyes and teeth glowing brightly with reflected sunglight. "Hey. I was wondering when you'd speak up."_

_ Ranko was doing a fine job of discussing our fears. I was not needed until now. But bringing others to our realm is a task for which you need my aid. _

_"Okay, let's bring her over then." Ranma stated._

_ Concentrate on our mate. Feel the bonds that connect us to her and signal your desire to bring her here. Call her, show her the way for her mind to come. Tatsu-Ranma whispered in Ranma's head._

_Ranma focused and concentrated, drawing up the connection he shared with his beloved. He found it easy to find and sent out a signal through the connection. He could feel Akane's mind as it woke into her own Dreamworld. Her's wasn't as complete as his own, being little more then the inside of the dojo. It was still forming as she had yet to reach the state needed to evolve to the final level of the Gift._

_A redish glow appeared in the distance, growing closer and larger until it formed a tunnel like shape. Through the tunnel opening, he could see into the dojo, where he saw both of Akane's forms as they sparred. Akane's male form was wearing a dark red gi with a golden dragon on the back with the wings spreading onto the arms. Her female form was wearing the same, but her's was yellow with a red dragon._

_They both paused in mid attack as they noticed the red tunnel. They stared through it at the collection of beings at the other end._

_"Ranma?" the female Akane asked as she realised what was happening. "What's going on?"_

_Ranma chuckled and stood, disturbing the large feline that had been using his lap as a pillow. "Come on through, both of you, and I'll explain."_

_The two exchanged a glance and a shrug before the male Akane came through first. Before the other Akane could come through, she paused and moved to the side, grabbing a large basket, similar to the type depicted in the Western world carried by the Easter Bunny._

_The two eventually finished exitted the tunnel into Ranma's side and it closed to a window sized opening. Akane eagerly moved to Ranma, placing the basket at his feet. "Ranma! This is that Dreamworld you were telling me about, isn't it?" she asked as she studied the female Ranma, the large black cat, and the even larger dragon form. "Hi Ranko. It's been awhile since we talked."_

_Ranko smiled as she moved to hug the woman they loved. "Hi Akane. I havne't had much to say since Ranma here hasn't been acting too stupid lately." She turned to look at the male Akane who was also looking around. "What's his name?"_

_Akane blinked and glanced at her male soul. "Oh, I never really thought of that. What is your name?" she asked._

_The male turned and grinned at them. Ranma was a little surprised to see that it was the same grin Akane wore when she was teasing him. "Well, technically, I'm still Akane. But I guess you should call me Kei. To avoid confusion."_

_"What's in the basket, Akane?" Ranma asked, looking down at the blanket covered shape._

_Akane smile nearly outlit the sun as she dropped to her knees and carefully begun unwrapping the blanket. "It was in the dojo when I entered my dream tonight. Look. Isn't it amazing?"_

_Inside the basket, resting on a bed of red hot coals, was a large, red and yellow egg. _

_"Is that what I think it is?" Ranma asked, looking up at his dragon representation._

_ It is indeed the egg of a dragon. Tatsu stated with a surge of pleasure in his voice. It seems our treasure is growing ever closer to reaching a matching state of being. _

_Ranma blinked and turned to Ranko, who sighed and slugged him in the shoulder. "He means Akane's almost ready to change, dimwit."_

_Ranma blinked. "Oh." Then his face lit up as it sunk in and he turned back to Akane, lifting her into his arms in a powerful hug. "Akane! Did you here? You're almost ready to become a dragon!"_

_A crack filled the air and the four human shaped beings turned to look down at the basket. A line had appeared on the smooth shaped egg. As they watched, with Tatsu-Ranma looking from above their heads, and Neko-Ranma nudging his way between them, the line extended and others began appearing. Soon the shell fell apart at the cracks, revealing the occupant._

_"Oooh. I'm so pretty!" Akane exclaimed as she beheld a kitten sized version of her draconian form. The tiny red head of the dragonling turned at the sound of her voice and a cough shook the body, purging a puff of smoke and ash from the tiny form._

_ I am pleased that we are pleased with our apperance. Tatsu-Akane said to it's human counterparts. The head swiveled on the fragile looking neck to take in the rest of the gathering. Greetings my mate. It seems I have some growing to do before we are prepared for eggs of our own. _

_ Fear not, beloved treasure. We have time. Tatsu stated as he brought his large head closer to huff on the small form, causing the well formed, but weak wings to flutter off the newly hatched body. You will grow strong and beautiful, equal to our human self's beloved. As is right, since she is you, and you are she. _

_The two dragons, one the size of a fair sized vehicle and the other small enough to hold in the palms of your hands touched noses in a draconic version of a kiss._

_"Well ain't that cute?" Ranko stated as she broke the tender moment with a bit of humor. "Anyway, it's almost time to get up and face the day. Akane, Ranma has something he needs to talk to you about, but he's been too scared to mention it. Knock some sense into him, will you?"_

_Akane giggled while Kei chuckled. "Don't worry Ranko, I will."_

_Kei moved over to the red-tinged window and tapped the side, causing it to expland once more into the tunnel. "Now that we know that we can come here, we'll stop by more often." Kei stated, pausing to give Ranko a naughty grin. "Feel free to visit us any time, Ranma, Ranko. You too, Tatsu and neko. We'll work on expanding our realm for all of us to fit and to help little Tat-chan to grow. I think we're gonna need to be able to reach that stage in our level before this whole thing with Saffron and Voldymort is done."_

_Ranko gave a girlish giggle and batted her eyes at the male soul. "Oh, I think that I'll stop by soon, big guy. And you're always welcome to visit here. Ranma's a bit shy, but I'm sure you and I can find someplace more . . . private to get to know one another."_

_Ranma rolled his eyes. His female soul was still a bit too flirty for his comfort. "Flirt later you two, Akane and I need to wake up soon. There's a talk we need to have, and I think it would be best to have it out in the so called real world then in our dream worlds."_

_Akane lifted the basket with the dragonling and moved over to the tunnel. "I'll see you soon Ranma. Hope to be back real soon, Ranko, Tatsu-chan." The large black panther-like form of Ranma's nekosoul moved over and gave Akane a long lick and nuzzled the baby dragon in the basket. "You too, neko-chan." Akane said, using one hand to scratch the special spot between the large cat's ears._

_The trio moved through the tunnel, and once they had stepped once again into the dojo, the tunnel shrunk down once more to a window. Now that the connection between their minds had been made, it would remain connected until one or the other either broke it or died._

_Ranma resumed his place huddled against his dragon form's side, with neko once again placing his head in his lap and Ranko leaning against him. Soon his eyes drifted closed as he enjoyed the sounds of the wind crossing the plain._

Ranma opened his eyes and looked into Akane's. "Akane, there's some thing we need to talk about."

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"Crucio." stated the sibilant voice of the resurrected Dark Lord with a flick of his wand. He listened dispassionately to the screams of pain from his victim before ending the spell.

"Where is it, Caldwell? I know that you have it. You were the last seen to enter it's location and now it is gone."

Icaras Caldwell, former Auror and current Unsepakable spit blood from his mouth towards the feet of the figure seated on the throne like chair. "You'll never get it, you snake-faced wanker. And I never had it. I don't know where it is. And even if I did, I would never tell you. Not after all the people you've killed."

Voldemort shook his head and struggled to withhold the rage he felt. "Icaras, my old friend. Why must you be so stubborn?" he asked rhetoriccally, knowing the answer. " GHSL ". he hissed in parseltongue at the other man's silence. He felt a surge of pride as the man screamed as the skin of his leg where the spell has struck began to bubble.

"Interesting feeling, is it not? It's a parseltongue spell. Turns the blood in the region of the spell strike into acid for about 10 seconds. I hear it's nearly as painful as the Cruciatus. If you'd like, I'll instruct you in the more . . . powerful versions of the spell. Should you continue to refuse me in this simple demand."

As his blood returned to normal and started running from the gaping hole in his thigh, Icaras again spat at Voldemort's feet. "Do your worst,Voldemort. Itproves nothing. What would your followers do if they weere tpkearn the truth of your origins? Of the true history of the world's biggest hipacrit?"

Filled with rage, Voldemort sent a blasting curse inches from Caldwell's head, causing him to roll away from the after shock of the shattering stone. "LEAVE!" the snake faced Dark Lord ordered those few of his servants who had remained for Caldwell's questioning. They obeyed at once, fleeing the room in the face of the raw power flickering around their lord.

"What do you know of my past, Icaras?" Voldemort hissed as he stared at the chained figure laying on the floor of his hall.

Icaras struggled to his knees, ignoring the pain that racked his body. He chuckled as he met the serpent like eyes of the Dark Lord. "Why Voldemort! You mean you don't remember me? I'm shocked. After all those times I knocked you around in DADA and made you look a fool during Transfiguration. I would think you'd remember your old school mates. Oh,wait. You killed most of the ones who knew about your past, didn't you? Too bad you missed a few. Tom Riddle, school prefect and head boy, disappeared and presumed to be the first person killed by the newly risen Dark Lord Voldemort more then 40 years ago. Yet you and I both know what really happened to Tom Riddle, don't we?"

Voldemort seethed as the man before him somehow rose to his feet and glared at him. "Yes we do, Caldwell. It is of no matter. Where is the map? If you dod not have it in your possesion, you mustk now of it's location. Only an Unspeakable of your level may enter those chambers. Yet when my servant searched the room, he could not find it. Where is it hidden? Tell me or I'll rip it from your mind."

Icaras Caldwell did what few others managed when threatened by the menacing figure. He laughed. "Somewhere you will never find it. And as for riping anything from my mind " he paused and one chained hand slipped into a hidden pocket of his trousers. " you won't have the chance. Escape." he stated and vanished as the portkey took effect.

Voldemort watched in shock as his former schoolmate vanished before his eyes. Then the impact of the eventstruck him and he started lashing out in rage, sending the most destructive curses he knew at the furnishings of the hall. Nearly an hour passed as he vented his anger at being foiled. He eventually returned to the cold, calculating nature and called for his most faithful servants. Bellatrix, Peter, Rookwood, Nott, and Avery entered the chamber and bowed before him.

"Wormtail, I want you to find out where Caldwell would have gone. He used a portkey to escape. Nott, Avery, I want you to find the ones who were supposed to search him and teach them not to fail me. Rookwood, I want you to go to our contact in the Ministry and have them search all of Caldwell's effects that might remain. Bella, I have a special task for you. One that requires your special talents. The details of which I will tell you later. GO." he ordered and the loyal servants left to follow his orders.

Bellatrix, while waiting for her master's orders, hesitated before asking her lord for clarification. "My Lord? What is this map that you seek? Why is it so important?" she paused, waiting to see if her lord would punish her for her impudence.

Voldemort sighed, a show of humanity he rarely displayed to any, and of which only Bellatrix still lived for those who'd seen those temporary moments of weakness and frustration. "It is a map of Europe that show all known wizarding locations, including all those so-called Unplottable and those under spells like the Fidelious charm. With it, I can send Saffron's troops to Hogwarts while finding Potter's 'family' and hurt him with their deaths. It would also cause more panic among the pathetic cowards for them to know that there is no safe, hidden place they can go to hide from my wrath. And it is a self-updating map. Whenever a new magical signature is formed signifying a magical location, be it home, work, retreat or otherwise, it will show on the map. With the map I can track down those muggle-borns and the mud-bloods even before their powers manifest fully. It is this map that is used to track magical surges indicating muggle or mudbloods who are mistakenly granted our gifts. How else would the Ministry know where to find those discussing vermin."

Bellatrix nodded, pleased that her master hadn't punished her, and fully understanding what kind of powerful weapon the map could be in her master's hands. "And the task you wish of me, master?"

"I will need time to prepare a list, but there are some people I was unable to reaquaint myself with due to my untimely defeat by the Potter brat. People who know a little too much about me for my comfort. And Bella, I want these people treated carefully. I want to send a signal to all that I have returned and I will broker no further defiance. I want the masses to look at these people and wish that they were only as damaged as the Longbottoms. I want people to fear us so much that they wish that when we finish with them they are only as bad as that pesky Auror couple."

Bellatrix bowed deeply to her master. "It will be as you command, my Lord."

"Yes, Bellatrix. It shall indeed." Maniacal laughter filled the spatious room as Voldemort contemplated the fate he had instore for his former school mates.

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AN

Tatsu- one of several Japanese words for dragon, the most common of which is Ryuu. In the story, Tatsu-Ranma is the mental shape of all the knowledge granted to Ranma once he earned the Gift of the Cold Dragon. Idendical to Ranma's dragon form.

Ranko- as explained in comes the cold dragon, this is a part of Ranma's soul that was 'awakened' when he was cursed. it's not the soul of the person who drowned in the spring, and it's not the 'female' version of Ranma. It's the yin to Ranma's yang. Equal and opposite, but still Ranma. knows what Ranma knows, feels what Ranma feels, but without the skewing of opinion from Genma's training. Imagine a Ranma who reached his level of skill, but didn't pick up any of Genma's bad habits.

neko- same sort of thing. Originally the genesis of the fear caused by the neko-ken training. It's the part of ranma's soul that 'became' a cat. when Ranma learned to accept his curse and then to overcome his fear, it became the mental representation of the neko-ken. this is the part that comes out when Ranma now goes into the neko-ken. playful, friendly but a dangerous being to anger. shows as a large panther like black cat. (about half again the size of a panther)

Icaras Caldwell- was Voldemort(Tom Riddle's) biggest competitor at school, nearly equal in talent and power, but less ambitious and not as driven.

GHSL-parseltongue acid blood spell, turns the blood in the area where spell hits into acid, boiling away the skin and flesh. Lasts about 10 seconds. This is the lowest level of this series of spells. the strongest is GHJFSL, which turns all your blood into acid.


	32. Section 32

Here's chapter 32 of Magic vs. MA.

there's more of Icaras Caldwell in this chapter, as well as some introspective Harry and a 'talk' between harry and luna(tonks). possibly even a revelation of the real luna's fate.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

PLEASE READ COMES THE COLD DRAGON in order to understand some of the background of the Ranma verse that I am using. Especially for the second section.

Any questions, email me at with Q and A or the title of any of my stories as the subject matter.

anything inside alligator brackets is thought like this , anything in quotes is spoken, fancy bracketslike these is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others.

When Voldemort or Harry are speaking and you see the brackets, then it's a parseltongue spell, or dialogue. Since I can't be bothered tomake up words, I'll just use some random letters unless they are actually speaking and not just casting a spell. Don't worry, I'll track which combo's I use and the effects of the desired spell, I might have similar non-parseltongue spells. In the AN at the end, you'll find a list of any Parseltongue spells and the effects, usually related to something some kind of snake can do.

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For the first time since he hit puberty, Icaras Caldwell stumbled as the portkey dropped him at his destination. Whether this was caused by the unusually lengthy trip, or the fact that he could barely stand due to his injuries would have been matter of some debate if anyone had been around to notice.

He did, however, have the luck to stumble and collapse right onto the low hanging matress he'd prepared for just such an eventuality. He paused for a few moments to try and collect himself and to overcome the searing pain left by the torture he'd endured. It took most of his remaining energy and all of his willpower to turn himself over, reach onto the shelf nearest his head and grab one of two dozen identical vials. Each vial contained a healing potion that acted as a stimulant and would help him block out the pain of his wounds for a short time.

It was not recommended to use the potion often, but Icaras strongly suspected that he would use up most of the 24 vials before he was able to leave his refuge. Most potionmasters and mediwitches agreed that no single person should ingest more then 4 of vials of this particular potion within a 3 month period. Icaras expected to use at least one a day for the next week, possibly two, and that didn't count the blood replenishing potions and the other healing potions he would be taking.

"I'm getting too old for this shite." he muttered as he waited for the energy boost to hit his tired form. He had a lot of work to do, and not that much time to do it. He could guess that old Tommyboy was already going through his memories of his time at school and picking out his next list of targets.

Once the stimulant hit his system, he carefully got out of the bed and took the three incredibly long steps to the desk then collapsed in the plush seat. He grabbed a piece of parchment and his quill and started writting a note for various old chums. He wrote out one note for his old school mates and used a copying charm to make 9 copies. He then sealed all ten in separate enveloppes and transfigured a spare quill into an owl.

"Take these to the addresses on the enveloppes. Wait for any further instructions." he told former writting instrument. He watched the new owl flap off and turned back to the desk, opening one drawing and taking out some supplies. He set to work cleaning and binding his wounds as best he could, knowing his time was limited. Soon, as he bent to place a magcal bandage over the knife wound in his leg, he felt the beginnings of pain and hastily slapped the few remaining bandages onto his visible wounds.

"Much better then muggle stitches." he muttered to himself as he quickly jotted down a list of things he needed to accomplish once he healed enough to leave.

1-stop at St. Mungo's for a checkup. Rest don't matter if I'm dead.

2-check on former classmates to see if they got the message. find a way to help them hide

3-**Avoid** checking to see if map's been found.

4-lead DE on chase around country to waste time and effort when I have no intention of going anywhere **_near_** that map.

5-contact head of Unspeakables and let him know what is going on.

6-create an offensive plan to fight the DE. Dumbledore's plan of sitting and waiting is obviously not working. too many dead who could have been saved in the smarmy old bastard would just get off his ass and DO something instead of watching as stuff unfolds and waiting for some stupid prophecy to come true. Slimy Slytherin bastard.

7-contact potter and let him know that he has allies who will fight for him, **_NOT_** dumbledore. the old man's too controlling.

8-try and find a way to train potter and those friends of his in more offensive spells so they might actually survive and WIN the next time they fight DE.

9-contact old allies among various races and ask for aid. if not full army support, then at least a few warriors to help protect potter while he learns what he needs to kill old tommy boy.

10-contact japanesse embassy to try and reach this Lord of Angwan and set up alliance...

Once the list was done, he hobbled over to the bed and fell once more onto the matress, wincing at the rising pain from the quickly disapating potion. He reached into another shelf and took out a vial of bright colored potion. He pulled the stopper and downed the potion, sighing as the sleeping drought flowed into his veins. He was asleep before the pain grew intense enough to be more then a mild ache in his joints.

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Harry watched as the rest of the HarHarTu group left the Room of Requirements, once again leaving only himself and Luna Lovegood. This had become a frequent almost expected occurance over the last couple of weeks, and Harry was getting a little confused. Though they didn't say anything to his face, he knew that his friends and the others were all under the impression that he and Luna were dating. He had heard the rumors being spread about them, and was starting to worry.

He liked Luna. She was one of the most interesting people he knew, and was easily one of the smartest people he'd met. She was nearly as smart as Hermione, and it was easy to see how she got into Ravenclaw, even if it seemed she was on a different plane of existence from every one else now and then. She was attractive, in an airy, aetheral kind of way. While not the exotic beauty of Cho Chan or the Patil Twins, or the pampered perfection of Lavendar Brown, she had what could be called a natural inner beauty that shun through everything she did.

She was of average height and size for a girl her age, with long blond hair several shades darker then the near white of the Malfoy family. Her eyes shun with her intelligence and an inner strength that he couldnt't recall seeing in anyone else. It was as though she was always laughing at the world. Or teasing it with hints of some secret knowledge she held over all else. While not as busty as Ginny or Lavender, she was more shapely then Cho and other girl's he'd noticed.

And more than her physical traits and intelligence, she understood him. Really understood him. She'd also lost a parent at a very young age and knew the pain he felt at the loss of his parents. While she'd had her father, it seemed that Mr. Lovegood had been more like a friend then a parent. At least from the way she talked about him. While some of his other friends, like Neville, had also lost family, for some reason, he felt more connected to Luna then the others. Maybe because she was the most at peace with her loss. Though she mourned her mother's passing, she didn't let it control how she lived her life. She cared little for the opinions of others and wasn't afraid of being ridiculed for her opinions or thoughts. That was something Harry admired in her and wished he could emulate.

That lead him back to where he'd started. He liked, respected and admired Luna, but he didn't really know how she felt. They spent a lot of time together, either here or the library or out in the old quad on the trail to Hagrid's hut. And when they were alone, she didn't seem adverse to being physically affectionate with him. They had had a few rather intense snogging sessions during their late night talks in the RoR. He was certainly attracted to her, and she seemed to return that attraction. But there was some thing that hadn't sat right with him all year. And it wasn't until earlier that evening that he'd realised what it was.

Now, he would speak to her and clear the air. He wasn't sure how though and was a little worried about that. His only previous dating experience was that one month with Cho at the end of last year after Cedric's death and the unfortunate incident with Padma at the Yule Ball. He was worried that if he actually asked Luna if they were dating that she'd be angry with him for not realising that they were. He was also worried that she'd laugh in his face at the suggesting that they were dating or might start dating in the near(hopefully) future. There was also that other matter that he'd finally figured out, and he wasn't sure how to go about finding out any of hte answers to his questions.

"Is something wrong, Harry? You seem a little distracted this evening?" Luna's voice broke through Harry's jumbled thoughts and he turned to look at the girl.

Harry sighed and moved over, concentrating on the Room. The folding chairs and dueling chamber that previously occupied the space vanished and were replaced with a comfortable room with several couches and plush chairs neatly arranged about a roaring fire. He took one of the chairs while Luna sat on the end of the couch, her head tilted in her particular manner.

"Just been thinking about things, lately." he stated as he studied the girl before him. "Luna, have you heard the rumors going around about us?" he asked, suddenly deciding on a path for his questions.

Luna smiled and tilted her head the other direction. "You mean the ones that have us secretly married and me pregnant with your child?"

Harry stared at her in a mix of shock and panic. "What!"

Luna giggled and waved a hand. "Sorry Harry, I couldn't stop myself. I assume you were talking about the rumors that we are dating and that these late night meetings that we have are just an excuse for us to snog and/or shag each other senseless."

Harry blinked as he recovered from hsi shock over Luna's response to his questions. "Er, yeah. those." he started before pausing. Wait. snog or _SHAG_? he thought to himself, his mind trying to drift to other thoughts before he regained control. "I was wondering what you thought of them. I mean if they upset you or bothered you."

Luna blinked at him with her large, owlish steady gaze. "They don't bother me, Harry. There is some truth to them after all. I mean, we haven't shagged yet, but we have snogged each other senseless a few times."

Harry nodded and froze once more as her words clicked in his minds Yet? YET? We haven't shagged YET? As in there's a possibility that we might shag sometime in the future? His mind tried to drift once againt to images of himself and Luna in various states of undress and passion before he regained control of his hormones. "er. I guess that's true. It doesn't bother you that people think you're dating me? I mean, I'm not anything special. There's tons of better guys that a fantastic girl like you could be dating. So, why me? Why waste your time with me?"

Luna laughed and leaned forward, looking almost like she'd fall out of the seat. "You think I'm fantastic? And that I should be dating some other guy?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm not anything special to look at. I'm not very talented except at DADA and flying. I'm pretty much blind without my glasses, and I grew up as a muggle and know almost nothing about the magical world. I lived in a cupboard for the first ten years of my life, and I didn't learn my name until the Dursleys were forced to send me to school. I thought it was 'boy' or 'freak' until I was 7. I was practically their slave until I started coming here, and still am during the summers when I am forced to go back because of some stupid blood protection spell that Dumbledore says my Mum caste before she died. I have an insane, hypocritical murderer trying to kill me and everyone I care about. Why would you put yourself in danger by spending so much time with me?"

Luna's face became serious as she studied him. "Harry, are you asking me if we _are_ dating? And if we aren't, if I _want_ to us to be dating?"

Harry blushed and looked away from the intense look in here eyes, but not before he'd again noticed the shift in their color. "Er, yeah I guess I am. But there's something else."

"Oh, what's that?" Luna asked, as she leaned back a bit.

"Am I asking Luna if she wants to go out with me, or am I asking Tonks?"

A flash of panic appeared on Luna's face as she leaned ever further back until she was pressing agains the cushions. This confirmed the suspicion in Harry's mind. "ah, Tonks? You mean my neighbor and friend Tonks that I was telling you about? Why would you think I was her, Harry?"

Harry sighed. "Give it up, Tonks. I know it's you, Nymphadora."

Luna's eyes flashed to red and she leapt to her feet, pointing her wand at Harry. "DON'T CALL ME NYMPHADORA!" she yelled before noting the smirk on Harry's face. She collapsed back into the couch and blushed red, even her hair darked to a nice redish shade. "oh. Er, guess I can't deny it after that. Sneaky git." she muttered just loud enough for Harry to hear.

Harry chuckled, earning a glare from the now blond again metamorphmagi. "So are you going to answer the question, Nym-" he paused at the death glare he received. "Er, right. Tonks. Who was I asking?"

Luna sighed and turned away. When she looked back, she was Tonks again, though her hair remained blond and her body didn't seem to change much from what he could tell. Her face took on the familiar heart shape that had apepared in a few of his more vividly pleasant dreams. In fact, she now resembled a strange mix of Bellatrix, Sirius, and Narcissa. He blinked as he recalled that Tonk's mum was the third of the three Black sisters, who had married a muggle. She had the same face as Bellatrix, with Narcissa's coloring, and Sirius's eyes. The only area she was lacking was in the Black family height and certain curves her Aunts were reknowned for.

That explains the resemblance, I guess. She must get her height from her father's side of the family. he thought to himself as he studied the person before him. "Is this you, Tonks?" he asked tentavely, not wanting to anger her. Beautiful. he thought. Just like in I pictured her in my dreams. 

Tonks gave a weak smile and glanced down shyly. "yes, Harry. This is the real me. You're the first person I've been myself with since about 3rd year, when the resemblance to Auntie Narcissa and Bellatrix started to really show. I used to run around with black hair most of the time I was younger because I got tired of the blond jokes, but then one day I was going down a corridor and one of the paintings addressed me as Bellatrix. So then I went to my real hair for a bit, but one of the teachers called me Narcissa when I asked a question. So I played around and settled on the form you've usually seen me in as me 'normal' appearance. It's enough like me that I don't mind the changed, but different enough that no one mistakes me for those evil bitches."

"So why show me now?" he asked softly, respectful of the seriousness of the moment.

Tonks' eyes met his and she blushed again, though not as deeply. "Because I wanted you to know, Harry that I meant everything I said. That while we were alone together, I wasn't lying to you. I changed a few things here and there to protect my identity, but I meant it when I said I understood what it was like for you Harry. That I could understand your dislike for your fame. I know you hate your scar and how every one treats you because of it. I know it must hurt to loose your parents. My Mum and Dad are still around, but I wasn't lying about Luna either Harry.

She was my neighbor, and we were very close friends, despite our age difference. She's always been older then her age anyway. Everything you heard, all the stories I told you, they really did happen. I just had to edit that how I told them. Anything I told you that happened to Luna about her mother or her adventures with her father, they really did happen. Anything I told you happened to my 'friend' Dora, they really did happen to me. Actualy, I was surprised you never seemed to connect Dora with Tonks because I did mention that Dora was a metamorphmagi and you know that I-Tonks, and one too."

"It never occured to me. I mean, I know how much you hate your name, Tonks, and the idea that you would use a shortened version of it never really crossed my mind. I know you told me that metamorph's were rare, but I didn't think about how rare. How many are there that you know of?" Harry stated.

"Right now, I think there's maybe a dozen living full metamorphs in the entire world. And maybe two dozen partials. Some people have enough of the gift to change one or two things like their eye color or hair color, but it's rare."

"This is interesting, and I want to know more about the difference between full and partial metamorphmagi, but that can wait. Why are you posing as Luna and where is the real Luna? Who was I starting to like, Tonks? How much of you was just acting like Luna, and how much was the real you?"

"I swear to you Harry, I didn't mean for any of this to happen." she stated with a wave at the space between them. "I wanted us to be friends, yes, but everything else just.. . grew without my really planning any of it. I didn't set out to lie to you about who I was, and I wanted you to get to know me, the real me. I was pretty much always myself when I was alone with you Harry. Except for a few things I had to change so you wouldn't suspect the truth. I started to like you, Harry. I mean, _really_ like you. I mean sure, when I first saw you in the hall your first year, it was just a crush because of the fame. But the last little while, as I got to know you, it's gone way past a crush."

Harry blinked. "You were still here when I started school?" he asked, surprised.

Tonks narrowed her eyes. "How old do you think I am? Wait, don't answer. For your information, Mr. Potter, I was in 6th year when you started your first."

"So you're only 5years older than me?" he asked/stated.

"Actually a little over 6 years. I'm 21 going on 22 about a month after you turn 16." Tonks stated. "I was in 6th year because of a combination of things."

Harry looked puzzily at her. "Like what?" he asked, wonder how someone nearly 7 years older could be only 5 grades ahead.

"You're not the only one to start school late, Harry. Because of my metamorhpmagi abilities, I had to start a year later at school. Then transfered schools to come to Hogwarts during my 3rd year but I was placed in 2nd here. So that put me 2 years back of people my own age. I graduated your second year, then went into what I thought would be my job before I realised that I would rather do something more active. So I joined the Aurors, which have a three year training program. The first two years are classwork and training and the third year is a mentor program. That's where I am right now."

"Who's your mentor?" he asked.

"Kinsley. Moody recommended he take me one despite my little problem with co-ordination when I'm in a morphed body. I'm not clumsy in my real form but I've always had problems when I take a form that isn't a real person. I'm sure you noticed that I wasn't banging into things as Luna." she paused as she saw him nod. "But again, we can talk about that stuff later. Right now, you asked who you were starting to like. I hope that you were starting to like me, no matter what I was calling myself. I was being myself as much as I could. I. . .I would like to see where this would go. I care about you, Harry. I don't care about that boy-who-lived crap. I know you better than that. And I hope you know me better then just as a passing acquaintance or a metamorphmagi."

Harry nodded. "I hope I do also, Tonks. Was being a metamorphmagi hard growing up?"

Tonks sighed and looked away. "It was fun as a kid. A kind of game that only I could play. I was a bit of a prankster. I would change into other people and then pull pranks and stuff to get them in trouble. I didn't have as much control as I do now, so I wasn't able to change my whole shape. Just my face and hair, but as a kid that was enough. As I got older, I could change more, and for longer times. Now I only revert back to my natural form when I'm totally exhausted or my emotions get out of control. When I hit puberty, my powers started shifting me out of control, so for about a year and a half, I had to stay home because I kept changing into whoever was closest to me. It was the only time when changing form hurt. Once that settled down, I was able to go to school.

If you're wondering, I started at Beauxbaton since we were living in Verseilles at the time. We moved to Edingborough when Dad was transfered so I switched to Hogwarts as my parents didn't want me alone in France. After getting here, I was like any other 15 year old girl. I started noticing that guys were a lot more interesting then girls. Had a few scattered dates. I helped that even though I was put in 2nd year, I was 14. So boys my age asked me out, making the girls in my class jealous. Then I met a guy and we started dating. Went out for about two weeks and then he started asking me to change. At first I didn't mind that much, since I enjoy being able to change and I liked showing off.

But soon he was starting to ask me to change into other girls. I couldn't take that and we broke up. He spread some rumors about how far we went, and other boys started asking me out. I dated a few but sure enough, after about two or three weeks, they asked me to change. I didn't want that. I wanted someone who loved me for myself, not because of who I could become. So I swore off dating until I could find a guy who would like me for myself. Someone I could trust enough to show my real self. Someone who could understand a little of what I went through. I think that person is you. So here we are. Showing you who I really am and hoping that I was open enough that you believe me about what I said. That the person you've been getting to know the last few months was me-Nymphadora Tonks. Even though I wore Luna's face, I was being myself. As much as I could. I hope you know that."

Harry leaned back. He took his time and thought over everything Tonks had told him. He could understand what it must have been like. Everyone wanting her to be something she wasn't. It was as close to his own life as he'd ever heard. Even what she was saying about being herself while still pretending to be Luna. He could understand that. Heck, even if she'd been her 'normal' self, it would still have been an act. This, this was the real Tonks. Some one who'd been treated badly and forced to pretend to be someone she wasn't. Who only wanted someone to care about because of who she was, not who they thought she should be. He could absolutely understand that feeling.

"I guess I can understand and accept that you were being as much yourself as you could given the circumstances. But I want to know. What happened to the real Luna and why did you take her place."

Tonks explained what had happened to her missing friend. The trip to the Amazon with her father and how she'd gone missing. The whole thing about how she'd been preparing to come to the school in disguise as an exchange student but when Luna went missing, Dumbledore had the bright idea to have her pose as the girl. How she'd gone to her friend's father and asked him if he objected to her use of the other girl's form. How the man had seemed rather excited at the prospect, instead of angered or disturbed. She herself had to be convinced to take another girl's identity, but she'd agreed. It would actually be easier this way, since she knew Luna so well that she could more easily play her then someone completely different. She had occassionaly taken Luna's form before, when the two had hung out together, often going into muggle London and pretending to be twins.

"So Dumbledore asked you to butt in on my life?" Harry asked, once more feeling the frustration that the ancient wizard felt the right to interfere with his life.

"Actually Remus and Sirius convinced me to come to the school as an exchange student first. They felt you might need someone with a bit of experience to help you if you got in trouble this year. Sirius wasn't sure until a few days before start of term that he'd even be able to come and they wanted some one they trusted to be around you incase something happens. Then Luna went missing and Dumbledore decided that I should just be her. Said it would be easy since she didn't have any friends as the other students were always teasing her because of her act." She paused and took a glance around before leaning forward and whispering. "I think Sirius and Remus were playing matchmaker. They used to tease me because of the crush I had on you."

Harry chuckled at the whispered statement before going through the rest of what she'd said. "Her act?" Harry asked, pondering the few times he'd intereacted with the real Luna.

"Sure, her 'not really here but I know more then you do, and isn't it lovely' act. She's not like that all the time, only at school or in public really. She's actually a bit of a smart-ass. Really sarcastic personality. Not mean like Malfoy or some of the people who pick on her, but just a touch of a bite in her sense of humor. Sure, she is interested in the animals and stuff her dad's always chasing but she's not the spaced out ditz that most people think she is."

"I'll look forward to getting to know her better when she gets back then. But right now, I think I've had about all the serious talk I can talk. Can we talk about something else, anything? As long as it has nothing to do with anything world shaking. Tell me more about yourself. I'd like to here more about some of the stories you told me. From your perspective instead of a 1st person's 2nd hand view of events. For instance, what kind of an idiot would go out with you and make the mistake of wanting you to change? You're pretty much perfect the way you are, Tonks, no matter what you choose to look like."

Tonks giggled and leaned back in the couch. She was surprised when Harry moved to sit beside her and covered them both with the quilt. Happily, she leaned her head on his should as she'd taken to doing when they sat together like this and started retelling him the real stories and not the editted versions she'd previously given. Including how she'd gotten her revenge on her first boyfriend by morphing into him and snogging his new girlfriend only to have her see that a certain part of 'his' anatomy didn't live up to the hype. he hadn't been able to convince another girl to go out with him until 7th year.

As the hour grew later and midnight sounded on the school clocks, she sighed and straightened. The talk had done wonders for them both, and they had once again reached the level of comfort with each other they'd grown to share over the previous weeks. Wordlessly, as they had been doing for weeks, they tidied up and thought the room to the standard broom closet. "So you aren't mad at me, Harry?" she asked she stopped, her hand inches from the door handle.

Harry sighed and looked her straight in the eyes. She was still in her real form, and they were nearly matched in height. He was only about an inch taller then her right now. "No, Tonks, I'm not mad at you. I'm pissed at Dumbledore for thinking he can control my life the way he has and for trying to force you to do something you didn't want to do. And maybe a bit upset with Sirius and Remus, but I'm also grateful to them, you know? Before this, I had a bit of a crush on you. I mean you were bright, funny, and witty and didn't look at me like I was either some kind of celebrity or the next Dark Lord in training. When you were with me, you were with me. Not The Boy-Who-Lived, or the Famous Defeater of YouKnowWho. Just me, Harry. You didn't insult me or treat me like dirt, and you didn't worship everything I did. It helped that your 'normal' form is beautiful, but I always felt it was more then that. That who you were, your personality, was more important then what you looked like.

And from what has happened this year, I can see that I was right. It doesn't matter that you look like your aunts, or that in a few seconds, you'll go back to being 'Luna'. You're still the same person no matter what you look like. And I really do like that person. You mentioned wanting to see what might happen, and I think I want that to. So I am asking you, Tonks, do you want to go out with me? Despite the fact that I'm a scrawny, blind, messy haired kid with a mass murderer and his followers trying to kill me?"

Tonks blushed and met his eyes. "I would love to go out with you Harry. Are you sure you want to go out with me? I'm something of a has-been, older woman you know. I'm clumsy, have a rather dangerous job, and half the time you won't know who I am, never mind where I am."

Harry grinned and feeling very daring as he was filled with happiness. She said she wanted to go out with me! he thought to himself. "Why wouldn't I want to go out with a beautiful, sexy, mysterious fully trained Auror?" he answered, leaning in and placing a kiss on her lips. This is real. he thought as the feeling of her lips pressed against him registered. This is a real kiss. A normal kiss. It's just me, Harry, kissing my new girlfriend, Tonks. No more hidding for either of us. 

Tonks enjoyed the kiss, but it was getting late and she was tired. She slowly pulled away so as not to frighten Harry. Wow. He's started to really get the hang of that. she thought to herself. That was better then the kisses when I was Luna. She smirked when the next thought crossed her mind. He must have had a really good teacher. She shifted into Luna's form, again feeling a flash of irritation that it was actually more shapely then her own form. "So want to meet me here tomorrow, after dinner?"

Harry smiled happily as he studied her. She'd kept her eyes as her own. "I don't know Luna, my girlfriend Tonks might not like it."

The morphed Tonks smirked and shook a finger in his face. "Better believe it, jack." She opened the door and cast a detection charm to make sure the hall was empty before leaving the room and moving down the hall.

Harry followed her, thinking about their conversation. They reached the hall where they'd have to go their separate ways, and Harry noticed that they'd been holding hands as they walked, Tonks as Luna walking a bit ahead of him. He froze at the corner and she stopped as the tug on their hands made her realise he wasn't walking any more.

"Harry? Everything okay?" she asked softly.

"_Yet_?" he asked, causing her no end of puzzlement.

"Yet what?" she shook her head and started over. "What do you mean, yet?"

Harry blushed and glanced at his shoes, unwilling to meet her gaze while he explained. "Ah, just thinking about something you said earlier." Seeing her look growing impatient, he sighed and struggled to get it out without dying of embarassment. "Er, when we were talking, before I. . . before the '_big_' talk, you said that one of the rumors about us was that you were pregnant and I was the father."

Tonks realised what he was trying to say, but couldn't help herself from pretending ignorance. She **_was _**related to Sirius after all, and a prankster in her own right. "What about it? You know that's not true. We've never gone that far." she asked.

"_Yet_. Ah, earlier, after you said that, you said that it was dumb because we hadn't even shagged _yet_." he paused and took a breath, trying to control his erratic hearbeat. "Does that mean you might one day want to. . .to... with _me_?"

Tonks gave a smile that was pure womanly mystique as she watched him fidget and stare at everything but her. He's _so_ easy. she thought to herself. She leaned in and gave him the most passionate kiss she could, only pulling back when the need for air became too strong to ignore. Her smile grew as he now stared at her, panting like he'd just run a marathon in 5 minutes. "Well, what's the point of being your girlfriend if neither of us gets to enjoy the reason for dating?" she asked before sauntering off down the hall to Ravenclaw's dorm. She made sure to sway her hips and a glance over her shoulder made her smirk as she spied Harry staring at her behind.

Harry was left watching her walk away with an idiotic grin on his face until he was caught by a passing professor and given detention for being out of the Towers after hours.

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while I'm writting this, I also have a second window going where I'm writting other scenes for future chapters. I want to put some more people in as things are coming to a head. so I give you this option. The NEXT chapter will feature one of the following:

A-Nabiki speaks to Ryuu and asks if he ever encountered any one who might go to Saffron/Voldemort's aid, includes the Council discussing wizarding populations and which countries might side with who.

B-news about Ukyo/Konatsu and what they are doing.

C-news about rising conflict in the muggle world

D-Fudge speaks to Percy and gives a bit of info about the population levels of the wizarding community around the world

Vote by reviewing or email for what you want in the next chapter.


	33. Section 33

Here's chapter 33 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

This is one of my longer chapters. At least three sections. Lots of description about Angwan and how the islands were formed, including descriptions of what life is like for it's people.

As for the vote, well Fudge does a bit of sermonizing to Percy, and Nabiki and Ryu have a talk.

Anytime you see football in my Ranma or Harry fics, I mean what in N. America is called soccer. If I'm talking about what WE call football, I'll add American, Canadian or Arena in front of it. i.e. . . . .

No, I meant like American football. The one with the blimp shaped ball that they throw and kick and run with. said Ranma as he watched the others looking at the odd uniform and thick pads he was wearing.

anything _like this _is thought, anything in quotes is spoken, like the following _like these_ is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others. Also, if in Angwan/Japan, they are speaking Japanese. anything like _this_ are foreign languages there.

between /an\ is author reference to explain a bit of detail about something mentioned that doesn't quite fit into writing in the story ie /an1\ for Author notes, heading 1

When Voldemort or Harry are speaking and you see **this** then it's a parseltongue spell, or dialogue. Since I can't be bothered to make up words, I'll just use some random letters unless they are actually speaking and not just casting a spell. Don't worry, I'll track which combo's I use and the effects of the desired spell, I might have similar non-parseltongue spells. In the AN at the end, you'll find a list of any Parseltongue spells and the effects, usually related to something some kind of snake can do.

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"Minister, I don't understand how you can give in to the threats of that ... that thing that attacked here the other day." Percy Weasley exclaimed as he finished writing out the letter his employer had dictated to him.

The minister studied him for a moment before moving over to a large globe sitting in the corner of the office. He stared down at the globe for a moment before turning and gesturing for the young red-haired man to join him. "Tell me Wethers, how much do you know about the wizarding populations of the world?"

Percy paused and searched his mind. "Probably not as much as I should, now that I am working for such an important wizarding figure as yourself sir." he stated calmly, no longer bothered that his employer erred in his name.

Fudge smiled at the toady's answer before placing the tip of his wand on the globe. Tiny lights started springing up on the surface of the model planet. Fudge turned the globe so that they were over looking Europe, with the UK near centered. "There are a lot more wizards around the world then is commonly thought, Percival. And there are a lot of agencies in charge of this population. My power extends only within the bounds of the United Kingdom's and their properties around the world. I have no authority over wizards from say, Germany for instance. Unless they commit a crime on UK soil, I have no power over what the wizards and witches of other countries do."

"Sorry sir, but I don't understand how their ignorance of your position is related to the wizarding populations of foreign countries." Percy stated as he studied the lights glowing in the UK.

Fudge touched his wand to the legend floating in the Atlantic ocean, and a projection appeared over the globe. It was a spreadsheet, floating in midair with letters 1 inch high. "How many witches and wizards do you think there are, Percy?"

The red head paused, still looking at the globe and not the floating projection. "Why, I don't know Minister. There can't be that many can there?"

"In the UK alone, Percival, there are over 3 million wizards and witches." Fudge stated in what he termed his 'official' voice. It was the voice he used when he gave official interviews to the Prophet and the WWN.

Percy's eyes widened as he stared at the man he followed so devoutly. "There's that many?" he asked with awe in his voice. "I would have guessed a few thousand at most."

Fudge chuckled and pointed at the wavering projection. "That is what most people think. But consider the sheer numbers of people in the world, Wethers. In the UK along there are roughly 50 million people. Of those, there are some 3million or so who can be considered a wizard or witch. The problem, Wethers, is that of those three million or so, only about 250 thousand are practicing witches or wizards. That means that in the UK, there are more 2 and a half million non-practicing or untrained wizards and witches."

"How can that be, Minister? How can so many be missed by the population? What about the detection spells? And underage magic and so on? How can so many be looked over?"

Fudge sighed as he studied the numbers related to his particular authority. "Because the detection spells and devices require a certain level of ability in the person being detected in order to activate, Periwinkle. If they don't have a certain level of inherent skill, they are ignored and their abilities passed off as other things by muggles. Often, those wizards and witches who go untrained, channel their limited skills into another field in the muggle world."

"So the detectors only find those that have a certain amount of raw talent or skill, unless they are already members of a wizarding family." Percy stated as he too looked over the various figures related to England and the UK.

"Each year, we have a few more rejoin the wizarding world through their children. Magic calls to magic, and many of the so-called muggleborns are actually Purebloods going back many generations though none were skilled enough to be brought into the active wizarding population. Some of the most powerful wizards of recent times have come to us in this manner. Harry Potter for instance. And his friend, the bushy haired girl who I believe you mentioned was dating your brother Donald. Rangle? Wagner? Granger? Yes, Granger. Her family is among those non-active wizarding families going back more than a thousand years on both sides. Same with Potter's Mother. She is descended from what came to be called squibs.

Active Purebloods created the term squib to differentiate between those with so-called 'pure' blood who lacked the talent to be an active wizard from those who had never been active. In fact, Lily Potter was born into the Evans family, which was a branch of a founder's line /an1\. The other lines died out, leaving only their line. She was the Heir to one of the Founders lines, being the first active witch in the family in nearly 600 years. Just as the Potter family are acknowledged as the Heirs of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. Young Mr. Potter, though he doesn't know it, carries the blood of all four founders of Hogwarts."

Percy blinked and immediately thought of the young man that he had come to consider having usurped his place among his family. "All _four_ of the founders, Minister? Even Slytherin?"

Fudge grimaced for a moment before sighing. He hadn't meant to discuss the Potter boy's family background, but he decided he needed an ally who knew the truth. "Yes, Percy." he said, using his assistant's real name instead of purposely distorting it as he normally did. "Few people know this, very few. It's considered of the utmost secrecy, and before I tell you, I'll need a wizard's oath to never reveal the information I'm about to tell you to anyone without my permission." Fudge waited while the eager young man vowed on his life and magic to obey the conditions stated. "The man most commonly accepted as Salazar Slytherin, the one considered one of the darkest mages in history, was not the Slytherin who founded Hogwarts. He was the _son_ of the true Founder from the Slytherin line."

"What was the real Lord Slytherin's name, then, Minister?" Percy asked.

Fudge snorted. "It was _Lady_ Lysandra Slytherin, born Lysandra Potter and _wife_ to Godric Gryffindor, born Godric Evans."

Percy blanched as the implications of this revelation slammed through his mind. "But it is well known that Godric Gryffindor was wed to Helga Hufflepuff, Minister! How could he have married this Lysandra Potter if he was wed to Lady Hufflepuff? Was Hufflepuff even her real name?"

Fudge slapped Percy on the back. "It gets even more complicated then that, young Percy. The famous rift between Salazar and Godric? It started quite normally as a father/son conflict regarding the fact that Salazar had wed the much older, but still beautiful Rowena Ravenclaw." He paused for a moment. "As for their names, well, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor were titles more then names. Similar to how we would call the Ducal lord of the duchy of Kent, Duke Kent, but his name might be James Smith. Their real names, the names they were born to were Godric Evans, Lysandra Potter, Helga Pierce, and Rowena Black.

And _Yes_, it is the same Black family that includes Sirius, Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange. Salazar and Rowena had several children, many who followed Salazar into the dark arts, leading to the incidents you have been taught. The Potter family disinherited Salazar, and named his brother, also named Godric, as it's heir. Helga married one of the students, a man by the name Bones, and one of their daughters eventually wed the second Godric, who had taken the name Potter in place of Evans. The Evans line continued through several of his younger siblings, most who were ironically sorted into Ravenclaw.

Eventually, the lines spread out through the population, and there are many families, in the active and nonactive populations, as well as even the muggle populace that now carry the blood from the founders of Hogwarts. Your family for instance, the Weasley's, can trace their roots back to Helga and her husband and as such are related to Amelia Bones, head of Magical Law Enforcement. I believe there is even some Black blood in your family. My own family can trace back to an offshoot of the Evans branch, as the first Godric had several siblings. In fact, all the founders except for Rowena came from large families. And they themselves had larger families then is commonly accepted. Overtime, the true history was hidden and Salazar was placed in charge of Slytherin house as his mother took the name Evans. And Godric Sr. and Jr. were combined into one person, so that people were taught that Godric wed Helga, while Rowena remained unwed and childless, and Salazar became a dark mage."

"Does this mean something special for Harry Potter, sir?" Percy asked as he processed the knowledge that he was related, if distantly, to one of the four most revered figures in wizarding history.

Fudge sighed. "Sadly, when Mr. Potter comes of age, he will inherit the seats of his ancestors on the Wizengamot. And as I have recently received a notice from the Genealogy branch of the ministry that Sirius Black has officially made him his heir, he also receives the Black seat."

"How many seats will he have, sir?"

"In total, he will have eight seats, Percival. Including 4 of the 7 Overseats. /an2\" Fudge stated, waiting for his protoge to make certain connections. "As well as a seat in the House of Lords among the muggle Ministry. His legal title among muggles would be Duke Potter."

Percy's eyes widened in realisation. "4 of the 7 Overseats? And 4 of the Legacy seats? He'll have tremendous power over the Wizengamot., Minister! Is there some way to stop him?" He ignored the news of Harry's muggle inheritance, too arrogant in the wizarding belief that muggles were of little consequence to care.

Fudge sighed. "Not really. Unless it is somehow proved that all of his female ancestors cheated on their husbands and that his male ancestors were bastard's not rightly heirs to their family. But what's more important, after those incidents with tose foreigners is that we are badly outnumbered, Percy. The UK has roughly 3million people with wizarding blood and only 250000 of those are active. This is a tiny portion of the overall population compared to the numbers world wide. In contrast, the rest of Europe alone has about 8million potential wizards, with over 3million of them active. Other countries have more. India, Japan, Thailand and the Egyptian Federation all have at least 20 million active wizards. Worldwide, there is a little over 300million wizards, with only about 165million of them active. Think of that for a moment, Percy. 165 million wizards capable of doing more then just minor slight of hand or parlor tricks. And only 250 in all of the United Kingdoms. That thing, Ranma and Haabu, whatever they are, they threatened to bring us to a wizarding world war. With just their own population, and their allies, they'd be able to bring a force of several million wizards, each capable of performing spells we have banned from use in our population."

"But what about our allies, Minister? Wouldn't they aid us, seeing the aggression of those wizards against us?"

Fudge gestured at the projection. "Even with our allies, we would be outnumbered by at least 5-1. Japan, India, Thailand, and the Austral-Asian Council are firm allies who have no love of the UK or other Europeans. We might manage to get the European Conference, the Russian Federation, and the Mid-East Confederation to ally with us, but the Americans would not risk aiding us because if they sided with us, the Chinese would side with the other Asian nations against us. And the African Ministries rarely agree on anything. The Egyptian Federation doesn't like the Coastal African Alliance, and are both looked down on by the South African Association, who really look down on all others. The other nations overseas, the Central American Authority and South American Tribunal would fight, since the CAA is firmly pro-American and anti-European, while most of SAT is anti-American and pro-European. The wild card would be Canada.

Though they are technically still a part of the British Empire, they have shown little interest in any of the conflicts in any parts of the world. Their wizard population is totally embedded in their muggle population. They attend the same schools and are taught the same subjects as their muggle counterparts. The only real difference there is that wizarding students have classes like Transfiguration and Charms and DADA, while muggle students have other classes. Why, the muggles even have the option of taking the Canadian versions of Potions, CoMC and History. They are even more ingrained in their culture then the wizards of Japan and China and other Asian nations. It's impossible to have an accurate count of population figures for those nations since it is difficult to tell if someone is wizard or one of these fancy martial artists. And some who are believed to be wizards, have really been nothing more then these so called martial artists."

"So what can we do, Minister?" Percy asked, feeling for the first time doubts in his chosen hero's methods. "After what's happened, you can't let Potter gain control of the Wizengamot, but with the threat of those foreigners, that means you have to tread very carefully on how you treat him. You'll need to be absolutely ironclad with evidence for any charges you level against him not to be laughed off."

"I know, Percy. I know. I just need to think of something. Some way to get rid of him for a while, until I can manipulate the Wizengamot to grant me more powers over the creation of new laws." Fudge sighed and turned away from the globe, grabbing a glass of firewhiskey and downing it."At least we can still limit Sirius Black's actions. He is still a wanted felon, and even if I pardon him from the accusation of being a Death Eater, we still have him on the various Animagi charges, as well as theft and break and enter. Those charges carry a total of roughly 20 years sentence in Azkhaban, and he's only served 12. We're able to hold his property and freeze his assets until he goes to trial for them. I rather think he'll be pardoned, but we can drag the process as long as possible to make them suffer and worry. Maybe then I'll have thought of a more permanent solution."

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Nabiki was agitated by the events that had taken place during their little jaunt to England. She had been far from impressed not only with the Minister himself, but the general security and arrangement of the Ministry offices. She had no clue how they had remained hidden from the non-magical community of London for so long because they were horrible at it. She was glad that the wizard populace of the Orient had never felt the need to separate themselves as they had in the West. Didn't those idiots understand that by hiding and propagating those racial segregation of wizards and muggles, they were increasing the likelihood that when they were discovered, they would be feared and envied?

Didn't they realise that people usually tried to kill or subjugate those that they feared or envied? History was full of those instances, and even her beloved homeland of Japan had its subclass in the Ainu. The original holders of the isles of Japan and their descendants were treated as a serf class during Nihon's formative centuries, and even now, many who were found to have Ainu blood in them were refused the opportunities given to those of 'pure' Japanese ancestry.

Even now, there were signs of just such a division forming in the new nation of which she was among the elite. The Amazons lorded over the other due to their superior numbers and the traditional roles for the genders. The Amazon men were already indoctrinated into servitude, something she found oddly displeasing. The Phoenix who remained looked down on all those who were incapable of flight. And the Musk were at times both the most aggressively anti-social beings as well as the most forgiving of other's faults. This duality was hard to understand, and if she hadn't seen even more extremes of opposing personality traits, she would have thought all of them paranoid schizophrenics.

Right now, she had other concerns as she approached the training field were she had been told she could find Ryuu Kumon. She wanted to know more about any potential allies Saffron and Voldemort might recruit from among the rogue elements of the martial artist population, and Ryuu was well traveled and powerful enough to have run into those who might join the Dark Lords, and those who might be convinced to fight against them instead.

She paused as she passed the archway into the field, taking in the fighters going through their various training exercises. She had been around martial arts her whole life, but the way the people of the Tribes went about was a whole new game to her. She studied the various styles, spotting several she'd seen before, as well as some she'd never encountered. She winced as one particular pair of combatants, a large musk male with scaled skin and a flickering forked tongue, got through the defenses of a man with dirty white hair. She recognized the man as he fell from the combination of knees to ribs and solar plexus. He was one of the Phoenix warriors. _This must be his cursed form._ she thought, recalling that before traveling to Japan, all of the Phoenix had taken baths in the springs of drowned man/woman respectively. The only reason she recognized this man was because she'd seen his normal form around Chervil, one of the Phoenix representatives on the council.

She continued her sweep as the Musk helped the Phoenix to his feet, until her eyes landed on Ryuu, who was not sparring, but doing kata against a fighting tree. As she moved over to wait for him to finish, she admired his form, both practical and physical. _Whatever else Ranma had done, he had certainly brought a heap load of damned fine looking men and women trailing after him._ she thought, feeling herself getting a little warm from the display of flesh and power in the football sized field. _Damn it! I wish Haabu hadn't had to go off on that inspection with Kiima. We haven't had any 'alone time' in weeks and I'm getting so frustrated, I might just embarrass both of us when he gets back._

She waited patiently until he threw the last set of blocks into the spring loaded arms of the tree. She'd recognized that he was practicing one of the kata Ranma often practised when he had no partner to work with. _Must be part of either the Yamasen-ken or the Umasen-ken._ she guessed. _They're the only two aside from Genma who know them, and I've never actually seen Genma doing any kata forms. The fat old panda only gets off his ass to spar against Ranma or train Akane_. "Got a few minutes, Kumon-san?" she asked politely in her coldest voice, putting a strangle hold on her raging hormones.

The older boy looked around while toweling off, studying the various others in their training regimes. He shrugged and turned back to face her, gesturing to a set of benches on the edge of the field. "Sure, let's have a seat and talk. What's on your mind, Tendo-san?"

"Haabu and I recently returned from a little trip to England to speak with the UK's Minister of Magic. It seems he has been making improper decisions regarding the safety of the students at the school where Ranma and the others are helping out. He's been restricting communications to and from the school and has stopped us from contacting Ranma or any of the others."

Ryuu frowned when Nabiki paused. He reached into the cooler next to the bench and pulled out a bottle of water. He silently offered it to Nabiki, who declined, and instead drank half the contents before setting in on the bench before him. "That sounds pretty serious. What can we do about it?"

"I've already spoken to him. In fact, Haabu and I had just started . . . recommending he chance his position when Ranma arrived with a friend of his from the school. The four of us talked a bit of sense into that buffoon, but I don't know how long it will last. After I talk to you, I'm going to Japan to meet with the Empress again. I have some things to tell her she might need to know about the idiots in charge over in the UK and Europe."

"And that brings us to what you what from me? I'm not a politician or diplomat. I'm just a fighter. What can I possibly do to help?" Ryuu asked.

"Well, right now the most important thing we need is information. And that you have in abundance." Nabiki took a breath, then looked around the field. Seeing that most were either gone, or finishing, she set the ball rolling. "You've heard about Saffron? Good. What I need from you is a list, no make that two lists. On this list, I want you to give the names of people who might go join Saffron's side over in England. And the 2nd list, put some names of people who we might be able to convince to either fight for us, or at the very least, remain out of the fight altogether. List any old rivals, training partners, people you fought along the way. Things like that."

Ryu nodded and started thinking of some of the people he'd met over the years he'd travelled. People who'd come to hate his, come to fear or mistrust him. People who'd he'd taunted and basically tormented thanks to the techniques. Techniques created by Genma Saotome. The same Genma Saotome he'd been searching for during those years. Years in which he'd called himself by another name. A very well known name. A name that was now reverberating in his skull as shock and fear slammed into him full force. _Oh shit_. was the single coherent thought that popped up when the fear allowed him to form words. _All those people, people as skilled as most of the Amazon and Musk warriors looking for me for revenge. Only it's not me they're looking for._ His throat painfully dry, he drank the rest of the water bottle, spilling most of the remainder on his chest because of the shaking in his hands.

Nabiki being the observant person she was, clearly noted the fear that was not etched on the young man's face. "What is it, Ryuu? Someone really bad?"

Ryuu gulped and looked away, not able to meet her eyes. "Uh, you could say that. Me. I spent years as a dojo destroyer, Tendo-san. Using the techniques left to me by my father. Techniques created by Saotome Genma. I searched for him, in order to get the other branch of the techniques, but I also wanted revenge for the death of my father. During that time, I must have angered dozens, maybe hundreds of people with my actions. All of whom swore revenge against me for their lost honor."

Nabiki blinked. "Okay, so there's a lot of people out there looking to settle up with you."

Ryuu shook his head. "Not with me, Tendo-san. With the man I was. They seek do not seek Ryuu Kumon." He turned and stared into her eyes. "Remember how I met you and your family, Tendo-san? Remember what name I was using."

Nabiki's eyes widened and her face paled. A casual observer would have appreciated the work of the Kabuki artist who'd painted her face such a clear white. "Oh holy hell. You were pretending to be Ranma. All those people are going to be looking for revenge against someone called Saotome Ranma, and they won't give a shit that it's not the right person. All they'll care about is the name." Her face started to return to it's normal color. "How good, Ryu? How good were they?"

Ryu looked away from her, not willing to meet the accusation in her gaze. "The weaker ones are about equal to the average Musk or Amazon warrior. Some of the stronger ones might be a match for those in what has become known as the Nerima Wrecking Crew. Several easily topped Habiki and Taro."

Nabiki stood and started pacing, her eyes flickering over an unseen task-board. "If they are that good, how'd you beat some of them? I mean, no offense Ryuu, but you're just about as good as Ranma was before he fought Saffron. That's nothing compared to where he is now, and even the others have kept their positions in the ranks at a relatively even pace. Only Akane has advanced far beyond where she'd previously ranked among the NWC. It's still pretty much the same thing. Ranma at the top with Ryoga, Taro and Xian Pu roughly equal to each other below him. Then Mu Tsu, Ukyo, Konatsu, Kodachi. Kuno, Sansenin, the boys who were challenging Akane, and other regulars at the bottom. The occasional newbie came by and fit in at various places, but they never stayed long enough to really be part of the Crew.

Only now, there's Haabu right there with Ranma, and Akane's just below them, above the others. No one else has jumped to the next tier of ranking, though they are all much stronger then they were last time you fought any of them. Now you'd have to add Kiima to the trio of Ryoga, Taro, Shampoo, and Min Tu and Raime -and you I think- would be in the next grouping under that. Hell, every one is more advanced then they were a year ago." Nabiki stated as she stared out over the newly formed country. A chill went through her.

_If those people have been looking for Ranma, we've done nothing but give them sign posts ten meters high with all the coverage given the forming of Angwan over in Japan and other Asian countries. _Everyone_ knows where to find Ranma and who he is. The only good thing about this is Ranma is in England right now. I'm gonna have to contact Kiima and let her know to increase the guards around the islands. Who knows how many people are planning to sneak over here and seek out their revenge by hurting Ranma's people and the island. The fields are still very fragile and most of the crops haven't taken full root yet. There's a lot of ways they could hurt the island, even without fighting anyone_.

"Ah, Nabiki? I really am sorry about this, you know. If I'd ever even thought about something like this happening, I would never have used Ranma's name."

Nabiki looked the older youth over, studying his posture and expression. "Too late to worry about that now, Kumon." she stated coldly, allowing her voice to take on an edge of the chill she normally showed when angry. "Right now, I want you to go make those lists. Put down as many people as you can remember, and then rank them as best you can. I want to know who the really dangerous ones are, and which ones are only a threat in numbers." As Ryuu nodded and stood to go obey her, she called out. "One more thing Kumon. If they are as good as you say, then how did you defeat them? You didn't answer earlier."

Kumon sighed. "The Yamasen-ken and Umasen-ken are very powerful techniques, Tendo-san. If you mastered one of them, then someone even at your level could defeat even someone as powerful as any of the NWC are now, with the possible exception of Haabu-san and Saotome-san. They are cheats, Tendo-san, much like an invincibility code is in a video game. You don't need to be very powerful to use them. You need only have a basic understanding of the use of ki in battle. The true test comes in limiting the damage the moves and techniques inflict. My father didn't understand that, and it cost him his life when he tried using it inside the house." He took a breath and bowed before starting towards his quarters in the far side of the 'palace' compound. "I'll have that list by the time you return from meeting the Empress, Tendo-san. Sayanora."

Nabiki watched as he moved off, donning his shirt which had been hanging on a rack near the entrance to the enclosed training area. She moved over to the fence and looked down, studying the tiny figures she new to be the lower ranks of Phoenix, Musk, and Amazon societies. She turned her gaze to the East, and towards the land that she had once called home. _I swear by all my ancestors, I will do everything in my power to protect these people. My people._

Stealing herself for the battles to come, she re-cloaked herself in the presence of the Ice Queen, and left the training arena behind. As she passed the arch, her silent guardian shadows trailed after her. For once, she was glad of their presence. She felt more in control when around people she understood and whose every action she could there fore predict when she felt nervous or fearful. As she left the mountain palace that was both the home of the 'royal' family of Angwan and the seat of the government, she mentally prepared herself for the distressing news she had to share with the Empress. By the time they reached the base of the mountain where the budding airport's terminal had been built, she was ready.

As the hydroplane leveled off, she looked out at her former homeland and sighed. For a moment, she missed her family home and wondered how her father and Genma were handling things alone, with no one to watch over them. She regretted her lost innocence, when she'd wanted nothing more then to rule the school through blackmail, bribery and extortion. Things were much more complex and difficult in the company she now kept. International diplomacy and staving off a potential world war were far more frightening to deal with then the childish rivalries superhuman teens and blocking the influence of shady characters like the Yakuza and the Triads.

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Kiima looked nervously at the darkening clouds on the horizon. Since the unfortunate incident involving the kidnapping of the then Tendo Akane, and what had transpired at Jhusenkyo, she had become a faithful follower of the Weather network and all meteorological forecasts. She'd become quit adept at weeding through the sometimes conflicting and often erroneous reports to find the most accurate forecasts. Her former joy at flying through the clouds had been replaced with a fear of a sudden downpour drenching her at several thousand feet above ground. She had forced herself to begin flying at lower altitudes then she preferred, usually skimming the treetops or roof tops, depending on the industrialization of the surrounding area. While her cursed form was incredibly durable and held nearly unmatched strength, she doubted she'd survive a fall of much more then 12-15 stories.

"Is there a problem, General?" came the voice of her companion, floating serenely through the air nearby.

Kiima turned and again was struck silence by the sheer magnificence of the godlike being who easily kept pace with her without the hassle of flapping wings or downdraft's. "Nothing serious, Lord Haabu. I was studying the storm clouds. They are here much sooner then the forecast predicted."

Haabu's laugh was short and as powerful as his stare. "Are you afraid of being caught at this altitude by a sudden rain fall, General?"

Kiima swallowed nervously. The Musk prince was difficult to read. It was nearly impossible to tell most times if he was being serious or if he was merely being sarcastic. _I wonder if Lady Nabiki has problems reading his intentions?_ "I would not say that I am afraid, my Lord. Merely cautious. I would hate to worry any should I be changed to my cursed form and crash to the Earth. The people know well the appearance of the Queen, my Lord, and I would not wish them to fear Lord Ranma's wrath should I fall to my death over their fields."

Haabu chuckled at her response, and she felt a flush of joy that she had pleased him with her response. "I do not think you have much to fear today, General. My wife would be most displeased with me should I allow harm to one who bears such semblance to our beloved sibling. Should the rains fall, General, have no fear. I shall keep you from dropping out of the sky."

Kiima gave the prince a grateful smile. "My thanks, my Lord. Since I was forced to acquire this . . .curse, I have long feared such an event and have been forced to restrain my joy at flight. It is a great comfort to me to know that for at least today, I need not restrain myself as much as I have forced myself in the past." She spotted something on the surface and pointed it out for the prince. "My Lord, I note movement below. Should not this area yet remain unoccupied?" She halted her forward momentum and was forced into a short circling of the area. While her eyes were usually quite well adapting to picking out minute movements at such distance, she'd fallen out of practice and was now feeling the strain in her eyes as they struggled to reach the level of magnification needed to see what was transpiring.

Haabu also paused, though didn't need to bother with her circling, and the transfer of magnitude in his eyes was almost instinctual. "Yes. We were not scheduled to begin inhabitation of this part of the island for at least another year. Though we have given the people freedom to find their own places on the island, this one was specifically set aside for a group of fisherman and pearl divers." His eyes zoomed in, and he slowly started to drift downward, Kiima following as she banked her wings. "Ah, I see. I had not thought of that."

"What is it my Lord? All I can see are people digging in the dirt. I can't make out what, if anything they are searching for."

Haabu gave the Phoenix a smile that caused her heart to quiver in her chest. "This island, in fact all three islands that make up Angwan were once at the bottom of the sea, Kiima. It took Ranma and I nearly a month, with the help of Saffron, to raise them from the surface. We had to ignite two volcanoes in order for it to happen. Ranma and I, in dragon form, swam to the bottom, and used our ki to free the land mass from the ocean floor. We then built the stacks of the volcanoes tall enough to break through the surface. Then, with Saffron adding his power, we each sent a massive blast of energy into the shaft. Saffron's fire, my ki, and what I learned was called plasma by Lord Ranma. This caused the dormant volcanoes to erupt, and sent the land mass floating to the surface. The stacks we'd built were reinforced by the lava flow to anchor the land to the ocean's surface. After they'd cooled down, Saffron sealed them off so that they wouldn't erupt unless the entire chain is disrupted."

Kiima nodded thoughtfully, having not understood how the trio had formed the islands. As far as she had known, they'd never told anyone what they'd down, only that they had finished the task. "That explains much I did not understand my Lord, but what of these people? What is their purpose here, and how does it relate to what you have told me."

"These are the people who have been given title to this land, Kiima. I recognize the foreman of the workers. A cheerful man by the name of Taka. He is a younger son, and would not have made much of a life for himself in his former home in the Land of Wa /an3\. When Ranma offered him and some of his fellows a home on Angwan, where they'd be able to practice their crafts and not worry about such measly things as outside pressures on the craftsmen, they were eager to come." He paused again, relishing the rare opportunity to enlighten someone he respected in something other then warfare and fighting.

"That explains who they are. But why are they here? Should they not be practicing their crafts?" Kiima stated as they came ever closer to the ground. She could now clearly make them out as mostly Japanese men, though there were a surprising number of women as well. A few of them looked up and spotted them, shouting exclamations to their fellows. Soon all had stopped to stare up at the descending figures, before the man Haabu had identified as Taka shouted at them, and they'd reluctantly returned to their digging.

"They are practicing their craft, Kiima. They are pearl divers." Haabu paused for a moment. "Well, at the moment they are clam diggers, but it amounts to much the same. They are searching for any clam beds that might have been on the land when it was still a part of the ocean floor. The area here was much too deep for even the strongest divers to reach without special equipment. If they can find a good bed, they stand to make a fair amount of \their deed price for the land."

Kiima nodded. She knew well what the Musk Prince was saying. While Lord Ranma had created the land for the people when the experiment in Uwajima on the isle of Shikoku had started to fail. The locals had been open enough about the differences, but they had drawn the line at the attitudes of the Amazon women and the Phoenix warriors who had looked at them as a servant class in waiting. They had appealed to Ranma, and he had sought alternatives. Thanks to the incident with the Pearls of Wisdom, he had learned of a way to raise a section of land from the ocean floor. So he had gone before the Emperor and Empress and beseeched them to allow him to raise a new home land for his people in the Inland Sea. He had not explained how they had managed to raise the three small islands, but the three powerful beings had done so.

When they'd relocated to the largest of the islands, Ranma, along with Nabiki and a woman named Obata had set down a list of rules regarding land ownership, and set about sectioning the land for a variety of uses.

They'd set up camp, which soon became the first (and still only) city on the islands at the base of the volcano. Phoenix and Musk craftsmen had carved out the palace from the of the mountain. Amazon men had planted the various plants and grasses into the areas set aside for their needs. The light vines and heating vines had been woven into the walls and floors of the fortress like structure, along with the most up to date electrical wiring and plumbing. The results were a beautiful and heartwarming melding of classical beauty and modern function.

From the outside, the new home for the Council could have easily have been home to any of the Chinese Emperors or the Shoguns and daimyio of feudal Japan. The growing city -appropriately named Newhome- had followed this example so that from afar, one would think they were stepping back in time, though this illusion was shattered as soon as one entered a home and saw the television with a satellite dish, top of the line computer systems with the most advance software and hardware, and top of the line appliances like dishwashers, robotic vacuum cleaners/mops, washer/dryer machines and so on.

These homes had been built and furnished with the funds made through the sale of the diamonds Ranma had created, and through certain archaeological pieces they'd sold after determining that it was safe to discard them. Each home owner had been allowed to add their own touches to their homes, so that they were not identical to all others, but they were all pretty much similar. The homes of the Phoenix people all had a large rooftop, on which they'd constructed landing pads and covered(and heated) nests for their natural forms. The Amazon homes had stronger structural details to withstand training, and each had a small yard for training purposes. There were communal bath houses every third block, and large communal gardens tended to by Amazon males. The Musk had added individual flairs based on their individual animal ancestors and the needs inherent in their not quite human bodies.

The council had made the decision that all were welcome to live in the city free of charge, save a small semi-annual fee to pay for pretty much all the incidentals and necessities. Heat and light were free, since all home had the proper vines. Water was pumped from the bowl of the volcano, where Ranma, much like previous Cold Dragons, had filled the shaft with water, and frozen it solid. The melting water ran into a constructed lake and treatment center to insure that it remained pure. Electricity was going to provided by off shore hydro plants that were still being constructed. One had been completed, and was under going safety testing. Currently, most homes were running on generators provided by the company Nabiki had created.

They ran on a clean alcohol fuel for easily three times what gasoline generators lasted. Dozens of these generators had been buried under each block, providing a back up energy supply should the hydroelectric plants failed. Each home was equipped with high speed Internet and shielded phone systems. Each homeowner had been allowed to choose the style of washroom, some choosing the Japanese furo and cleaning stations, and others going for the Western shower/bath stall.

The homes and other features of Newhome were provided to all the people from the combined treasuries of the Three Tribes. If anyone did not wish to live in the growing community, but preferred to have a plot of land of their own, they could purchase a deed for one of the hundreds of divisions that the land had been divided into. Each person had to prove that they'd be able to care for the land, and provide at least for their own families. Some people had banded together and purchased land where they wished to form their own village. These people were asked to work with the architects hired by Nabiki in order to design a village that best suited their needs and desires while still maintaining a certain standard of living. Once they'd settled on the site for their villages, the builders had gone in to start laying the foundation for the modern conveniences like plumbing, and electricity.

Some areas had been set aside as nature preserves, and Ranma and Haabu were working on transplanting live trees from both Japan and the former lands held by the Musk, Amazons and Phoenix. Though there were few still standing of any appreciable value as after their departure, the PRC had ordered the area razed to the ground and the earth salted. Of course, they'd kept the most fertile fields and shipped their own farmers in to replace the departed residents, but publicly, they'd announced that the land was now worthless and would stand as a testament to show what happened to those who betrayed the people of China. Those few of the Three Tribes who'd remained, secure in their belief in their personal strengths, were either dead, or being hunted.

Others had been deemed for various future endeavours. There was a large section, near the middle of the island, that they were hoping to one day build a professional quality sporting complex including Olympic standards for pools, rinks, football, track&field, and the indoor sports like wrestling, fencing, the various marital arts(including boxing) and gymnastics. There would also be a baseball field, and a softball field. If all went well, the large field would hold 75 000, and the baseball field would hold 32 000, with another 8 000 at the softball park.

There was even a section of the island, on the opposite side of the newly christened Mount Tatsu that was undergoing preparation to build a onsen, complete with natural hot and cold spring.

The pearl divers transplanted from Japan were the largest of these groups, and they'd carefully scoured through the charts of the sea bottom both before and after the rise of the islands. They'd determined the most likely places for clam beds, and working together, purchased the deeds for most of the northern short of the main island. The area between it and the second island was shallow, well within their ability to dive even without modern equipment while still allowing large ships to pass. Ranma and Haabu, when breaking the islands from the sea floor, had made sure that they remained connected to each other, even if it was some ways below the surface of the water. Once the village was prepared, they would go down and search if there was a clam population. If not, they'd be able to seed the area with some clam beds brought over from various nearby clam farms.

As Kiima and Haabu landed, Taka made his way to them, and bowed deeply.

"Greeting Lord Haabu, Lady of the Phoenix. It is a surprise and pleasure to see you here on this day. May I provide some assistance, my Lord?" he asked while remaining bowed.

Haabu looked over the workers, ignoring the whispered words to each other, and the side glances they gave him. "I must admit, Taka, I am surprised to see you here as well. I had not thought to consider chat might have risen below the surface of the land when my Cousin and I raised our new home from the ocean floor. Have you found any worthwhile beds?"

Taka frowned and sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Not yet, my Lord. But we have found gifts of another kind. If you will please come with me, my Lord. I am unsure of what to do with what we have found."

Haabu nodded, and followed the eager young man as he moved to a large mound of dirt. Haabu used his reputation to his advantage, floating several inches above the ground while Kiima followed sedately, studying the people around them as they studied her and the Musk Prince.

They reached the mound, which they easily noted was nearly 100 feet long, and at least a third that in height. They rounded the end of the mound and turned to face it. What they saw amazed them, and for a moment, Haabu drifted to the Earth before rising to a heigh of several feet for a better view.

Lying burried in the dirt was the wreckage of some type of sea faring vessel. It was on it's size, and the broken mast was long since rotted away. Most of the top deck had also rotten through, and you could see all the way through to the cargo hold. Not that you needed to. Several of Taka's people had erected a tent, and clearly visible inside the tent was a pile of gold with peaks reaching Haabu's height. Also showing were several ancient statues in what looked like jade, and a long table held priceless quantities jewelry and uncut gems.

"By the first dragon's beard! It's a sunken treasure ship!" Kiima exclaimed as she studied the display of wealth newly found.

"There is more, Lady Phoenix, Lord Haabu." Tatsu went to a table and lifted a small blanket, displaying the remains of one of the crew.

The small figure, obviously male, was not dressed in the armor of a samurai or a Chinese warrior. Instead he was sheathed in the armor of the West, in a style Kiima had come to know as Spanish thanks to her interest in military history. She'd grown quite fond of the Internet since learning of it's existence. "I don't understand the words carved into the armor, but it's of no style I've ever seen. Even much of the gold and the coins are stamped with a design I do not recognize."

Haabu allowed himself to connect to the ground as he looked over the remains. He spotted the rents in the armor that told the the man's death, and he whispered an quiet prayer to the man's ancestors. "There is no reason you should, Taka. It is a Spanish design. This man and this ship, were from Spain."

"But what is it doing here?" Kiima asked, looking up from the skeleton. Thankfully, all the flesh had long since been either eaten or worn away by the tides and sand as the ship was buried. "It must have been sunk a very long time ago. I don't know if it would have had time to be buried this deep after only three hundred or less years."

Haabu shook his head and his voice took on the pleasing tones he used when dispensing information. Kiima had come to think of it as his 'teaching' voice, and when she had mentioned this to Princess Nabiki, the younger woman had giggled and sworn that if she'd had a teacher with that kind of voice, her grades would have been much higher. "These waters are very turbulent, General. Japan is prone to the movement of the Earth, and this causes the surrounding ocean to shift as well. The surface of the sea floor is often and rapidly spread because of these tremors, not to mention the under water volcanoes and sea quakes. Many a ship has been lost in these waters due to sudden upthrusts of volcanic rock, that then rapidly break away under the tides and it's own weight. It's no surprise that a ship could be buried in little or no time. The damage to this man's armor, General, is unlikely to have come from battle. The same goes to the ship." He turned and looked over the still mostly buried hulk.

"If I am correct, I believe the ship was travelling these water, likely heading back to the West after a trade mission. It passed over one of the volcanoes as it erupted. See there? The breaking of the hull on the ship? It is up, and inward from beneath the waterline a ship this size would have drawn. This ship was not shot down by canon fire, but by volcanic rock throw up from below. This man, the damage in the armor and bones are too ragged and mishappen to have been from the weapons of those times. A rifle shot would not be so large, and sword wounds would be much cleaned edges. This man was, like the ship, struck full on by the debris thrown out by an erupting volcano." He looked back to Taka. "An excellent find, Taka-san. You mentioned you had some concern about what to do with your find?"

"Yes, my Lord. My people and I are unsure as to whom this properly belongs." He blushed and looked away. "We are not actually inside the bounds of the deed we purchased here, my Lord. Truthfully, our deed only allows us the land two miles north of here and up to the coast. This is still unclaimed land, and as such, anything found on it should properly go the all the people of Angwan."

Haabu hummed under his breath as he considered. Taka was technically right, after all. The deeds clearly stated that anything found on the land within the boundaries of each deed belonged to the holder of the deed. Anything that was found on unclaimed land was the property of the people of Angwan and was to be held in trust in the Treasury or divided amongst the people of the nation. And what Taka and his people had done, digging here outside their approved land, was a violation of their charter. By rights, Haabu could reclaim the deeds they'd purchased and banished them from the island.

"My friend, this is a tricky situation in which you have found yourself. If you can find the name plate of this vessel, and at least two other solid items bearing it's name, then by the salvage rights of current international maritime laws, you own everything on the ship. But that conflicts with the laws set down by the council in that this is free land, not currently holden to any one. That means that this, and anything else that you have found is the property of the people and you have broken the law by trying to work a land that you do not own. I see two ways out. You can gift your find to the people, and hope for leniency based on the aid this wealth could provide the people, or you can first do as I mentioned, find those pieces naming this ship, and contact the proper authorities to place your claim while also purchasing the deed for this plot, then come to the Council with news of your discovery. As you would then already have legal rights over your find and ownership of the deed, there would be little the Council could do except perhaps a small fine, say 25percent of the value of the contents of the vessel." Haabu stated, staring the other man in the face.

Taka blinked, swallowed and bowed deeply. "I thank you my Lord for setting my mind at ease. I was prepared to offer my life in exchange for my people's home. Your offer is far more then generous and far beyond what we deserve."

Haabu allowed his face to relax slightly and gestured the man to his feet. "Cheer up, Taka. Today you have become the wealthiest citizen of Angwan. Perhaps one day, there will be a seat for you among the Council." His face hardened again. "I would suggest however, that you moved your people, and the more easily mobile pieces to within your deeds limits and remain there on any further . . . excavations."

Taka bowed again. "I will give the order immediately, Lord Haabu." He paused again. "Please, my Lord. Take from the gift as a token of my respect and loyalty. I meant no harm, and certainly we never expected to find this. Perhaps Princess Nabiki would appreciate some of the finer pieces of jewelry? For you as well, Lady Phoenix. If there is something you wish, please, it is our honor and duty to gift it to you."

Kiima glanced at Haabu who gave a slight nod for her to proceed. She went over to the table were the skeleton lay. She gently took the sword and it's scabbard. _Sleep well, honored one. Know that your sword will rest in a place of honor where it will serve well as a reminder of the price paid for our new found home. Soon we will put you to rest with your fallen comrades._

She slid the scabbard through her belt and went over to the jewelry. She'd never been much for such things, mainly since she'd spent most her life in active duty, but she did appreciate the skill and beauty of such things. She took a necklace of gold, with 3 stones, two red, one blue, and a bracelet made of intricate links of tarnished silver and platinum, which also had three stones.

Haabu stood next to her, studying the pieces. He had taken 1 of each type of coin while she'd made her choices, knowing his wife would appreciate what they represented. He decided to pick out gifts for his newly formed family. he found a golden tiara, not too gaudy, but still very intricate. It reminded him of the pieces he'd made for Tetsugo-sensei before he'd crafted the bracelet worn on his wife's wrist. _Ooh, yes, Haabu darling. Our Weapon will love that. Ooo, and that piece on my right, near the edge. That would look great hanging down between her -_

Haabu gave a mental sigh. _Must you be so crude?_ he asked the mental apparition formed by the curse. _Can you think with your brain for once instead of. . . instead of . . . _

A soft, throaty chuckled filled his mindscape. _Instead of what, Haabu-darling? Instead of with your . . . womanly charms?_

_I have no womanly charms! I am a MAN!_ Haabu snarled at the voice, his fists clenching painfully, as his aura started to shift into the visible spectrum, causing Kiima and Taka to back away.

_Calm myself, Haabu-darling. I've been doing so good lately with accepting the curse, that's why I haven't heard from myself in so long. Our Weapon is doing a good job of breaking through that thick skull of your's dear. But still, you should get that piece for our weapon. She likes flaunting her womanly charms for me_.

Haabu sighed and grabbed the necklace, knowing that the hated voice was right. She was a woman, after all. _Do you see anything suitable for my Cousin and his mate? Or for my wife's other sibling and her chosen?_

_Let's see... Okay, Ranma wouldn't want anything too feminine, but rather something that would fit both forms. See if you can find some nice rings, or fancy hair ties. They often made silver hair clasps for braids. Oh, good. There's a few. My, not just silver either. Looks like some gold and platinum, and maybe all three together. Ranma's gonna love them. Now, for Akane, find a bracelet or bracelet. If you can find another tiara or crown like the one you have, then that would be great. Well, not quite the same but it will do._ the voice trailed off as Haabu continued to sort through the various forms of ancient jewelry. _For the Elder, I think something less showy, but still elegant. A nice, understated necklace, not like our Weapons, or the Phoenix's, but - there. That's the one. Good. For the Isha, it's too bad the water would have ruined any books. He'd like those. See if there's one of those fancy blades. Yeah, that one will do. He can place it on his desk or a shelf in his office. As for our Cousin's mother, a string of pearls and a bracelet. Yes, that's definitely the right one. See, darling, I knew you had some woman in you. Otherwise you'd be alone and I wouldn't be here._

Haabu came out of the minor trance like state that he always slipped into when speaking with his cursed soul. Kiima, both from personal experience battling her cursed soul, and from witnessing it happen before had not been worried. He was grateful to find that Taka had looked worried while he'd gone through the pile of wealth.

"Are you . . . alright, my Lord?" the nervous man asked, not used to seeing a cursed one in conversation with their inner being.

"I am fine, Taka. One of the pleasure of being cursed by Jhusenkyo is that sometimes the curses get a mind of their own. I was consulting my curse for advice on appropriate gifts for my Princess and our family." He turned to look at the statues. They were life sized for the time, standing just under five feet tall. "How many of those did you find?"

"We have brought out 5 intact, my Lord. We have found the remains of at least two others, and think that there were less then 10 on board." Taka stated as he followed the intense gaze of the dragon prince.

"Send two of them to the palace. I think they would fit well at the doors to enter the meeting hall of the Council chambers. A reminder of the past."

"Yes my Lord. They shall be there by morning." the man paused again before continuing. "My Lord, one more thing if it pleases you?"

Haabu raised a brow, a gestured he'd copied from his wife. "Yes, Taka?"

The diver gestured to the skeleton on the table. "What should I do with the remains, Lord? We have found remains for several others, including some partial remains."

Haabu took a moment to consider. "We will give them a proper burial, back into the sea. They are to be treated in as . . . dignified a manner as you can manage. I shall send word to the appropriate places to begin building caskets in the Western style. Search the rest of the ship, and when you have a final, count of bodies, send word to my aid and it will reach me. As for any partial remains... we will give them a funeral pyre, and pour the ashes over the location we replace the caskets."

"It shall be done, as you have commanded, my Lord."

Haabu nodded, and he slowly drifted upwards, until he was some 5stories off the ground. He waited until Kiima joined him, and then bid farewell to Taka with a nod. Already, he could see Taka's people, packing their equipment and heading to their proper land.

"My Lord?" Kiima ventured once they'd reached a fair height and speed.

"Yes, Kiima?" Haabu asked.

"I have seen mounds like that before. There are many on Mittsu, and even a few on Futatsu. /an4\" she ventured.

Haabu stared at her as they continued south. "Kiima, when we reach the camp, I want you to get on one of those telephones, and contact your underlings. Tell them I want detailed coordinates on all of those mounds from all three islands. Also, send word to the Office of Deeds to put a hold on all purchases of land until we can inspect them. I want aerial photographs of each mound. Anything that looks even remotely similar. I do not want to send a farmer to his land, only to have him digging the bodies of sailors and thinking his land is cursed."

"At your command, Lord Haabu." Kiima stated as they neared the camp.

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Author's Notes:

Now there was a lot of description in this chapter, and I don't want anyone to be annoyed. I just wanted you all to have as clear an image in your heads of what it's like on Angwan as I do, because it might come up later in this story, in in a different story I'm toying with. I was thinking writing a story about a North American who moves to Angwan and how he has to adapt not only to the language and cultural differences, but overcome the prejudice most NA's have about how the rest of the world lives (environment of life, not political/social/religious) how he has to deal with coming from what he thought was an fairly technological nation to one that in may ways surpasses his former home. Or something like that. Maybe a sequel after this about Harry&co(or someone from HP's world) moving there like Ranma offered. Or a series of shorts on life on Angwan for the average person and how it's changed from what they used to know.

1-Thought there are many people who founded something, it is commonly accepted that the variations on referenced to '**The Founders' **refers to the four people who built the first magical school in wizarding Britain, Hogwarts, so that when someone says 'the founders line' or 'only the founders could accomplish such feats' they are referring to Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

2-The **Wizengamot**(for my purposes) is in a three tiered system. The first tier is the **Overseats**, of which there are seven. 1 Each for the founders (**G,S,R,H**), 1 for the **Supreme Mugwump**(Currently _Albus Dumbledore_, an elected position from the Legacy seats), 1 for **Merlin's Heir**(official title handed to most powerful figure in wizengamot, chosen by electoral vote, person most likely considered to have been taught by Merlin if he was there to teach, currently held by _Nicolas Flamel_, though he rarely takes part and usually abstains from all votes), and the **Royal Seat**(usually the heir to the throne, currently held by _Prince William_, who is the officially named Heir to the Throne)

After that, there are the **Legacy** seats. These are the heads of the most powerful and longest continuous lines of purebloods. Includes _Malfoys_, _Potters, Blacks, Bones, Dumbledores, Notts, _and others. Proper term of address is Lord. There are currently **27 Legacy **seats. In order to gain a legacy seat, must be able to prove pureblood ancestry for at least **15 generations(or 500 years) **on _both_ sides of the family. (Sadly, the _Weasley_ family is 2 generations shy, as they can only prove 13 generations of pureblood, going roughly 460 or so years.)

Then there is the **Elected**, which are wizards and witches elected by the general population and confirmed by the other tiers. The _Minister of Magic_'s seat, as well as all the heads of the various ministry departments are in this level. The _MoM(Fudge)_ usually acts as the **Speaker** for the Wizengamot, opening and presiding over sessions.

3-**Land of Wa**, a Chinese name for Japan(which is an western name for what is properly called Nihon)

4- the three islands of Angwan are Hitotsu, Futatsu, and Mittsu. The largest island is Hitotsu, the second largest is Futatsu, and Mittsu is the smallest. It's also the order in which the islands surfaced, and how they are planning on populating the islands. It's very appropriate since Hitotsu means (one or first), Futatsu (two or 2nd) and Mittsu (three or third). While there is a large Japanese population as they are still tied to japan, most of them are actually transplants from China (Amazon, Musk, Phoenix) and only a handful of them speak Japanese, and the names sounded good to those who were just starting to learn Japanese. you know exactly what someone is talking about when they say "I'm from the north of Hitotsu island." It means they are from the main island. It was also easy to remember for the new citizen's who aren't comfortable with Japanese.


	34. Section 34

Here's chapter 34 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

There's a weird turn in here, but whiel I was writting it just streamed out without my really thinking about it, and it fit with what else was going on. I think. Anyway, thisi s fiction and does not reflect in any way reality.

With all the harry/luna fans out there, I decided to make this a harry/tonks/luna story, though that isn't the main focus. I'm hoping the action/adventure part of the story takes hold, but I want to develop the characters to a point where you feel for when there is danger. Hopefully I am able to make this as good as some of the other multiship

anything _like this _is thought, anything in quotes is spoken, like the following _like these_ is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others. Also, if in Angwan/Japan, they are speaking Japanese. anything like _this_ are foreign languages there. Only underline is somethign being read.

between /an\ is author reference to explain a bit of detail about something mentioned that doesn't quite fit into writing in the story ie /an1\ for Author notes, heading 1

When Voldemort or Harry are speaking and you see **this** then it's a parseltongue spell, or dialogue. Since I can't be bothered to make up words, I'll just use some random letters unless they are actually speaking and not just casting a spell. Don't worry, I'll track which combo's I use and the effects of the desired spell, I might have similar non-parseltongue spells. In the AN at the end, you'll find a list of any Parseltongue spells and the effects, usually related to something some kind of snake can do.

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Harry was panting slightly as he pulled away from the breathless form of his girlfriend. They were currently snuggled up together on a plush chair in the Room of Requirement after the latest HarHarTu meeting. It had become their habit to hold the general meeting of which ever training group's session it was, followed by the HarHarTu commitee meeting to review everyones progress, then for Harry and Luna(Tonks) to stay afterwards fo a bit of private tutoring. Tonks was now helping Harry come up with Auror Level training spells for his own training as well as lessons for theadvanced group of HarHarTu. Of course, they had taken the chances provided by this excuse to have more private, and physical lessons.

"So how long do you think YKW will take to do something this year?" Tonks asked once she got her breath back. "From what you were saying he's been trouble in some way or another for you everytime you come to Hogwarts. So far though, the only trouble you seemed to have had was old Fudgey and Dumbsicle. Even little Dracie-poo, my **darling** little cousin, hasn't been half the pain in the keister he usually is according to you."

"Well in Draino's defense, he's been busy terrifying the 1st and 2nd years with his little boyband wannabes Dumbsicle put under his command." Harry sighed at the thought of the blond haired prat. "Of course, he picks on them because they are the only ones weak enough or unskilled enough to be wooried by his threats. I actually am more worried about Crabbe & Goyle then I am about Malfoy. There's no way they'd have made it to 5th year if they were really as dumb as they act."

"Well you have a point there." Tonks replied, recalling her own troubles to advance each year and how she'd had to repeat some time when she'd transfered from Beauxbatons to Hogwarts. "But enough about Dracie and his scaly friends. I wanted to know if you wanted to keep our relationship a secret of if we should tell people. I'm ready for either, as long as you remember that here, everyone thinks that I am Luna, and while I can change a few quirks in Luna's behaviour, I still have to be able to convince everyone that I am Luna. I won't be able to really be myself, either physically or in my behaviour. Does that bother you?"

Harry took a moment to think about hte implications of her questions. He wasn't adversed to announcing their relationship, as long as they found a subtle way to do so. He cared about Tonks/Luna a great deal- maybe he even loved her. But he didn't want to make a big deal of the fact that they were dating. He'd prefer to quietly let their friends know and then just stop hiding. No big announcement or anything like that. Just start walking around school holding hands, or with their arms around each other. Having private time together for real dates. Maybe get caught snogging in a broom closet. Perhaps even semi-public snog sessions in each other's common rooms.

As for the other question. "Well to be honest, it does a little. It's kind of a weird situation for me. Here I was, starting to really get to know and like someone, only it turns out she's not really who I thought. Instead of a quirky, blond, etherael girl with the most interesting way of looking at the world, she's really an older, more down to earth woman, an Auror that I had a bit of a crush on. Aside from your face and hair, your body and Luna's are pretty similar, but your normal personality is very different from the one you generally show. Where Luna is airy and almost unflappable, you're sneaky, bold and excitable. I can't help but like both personalities. I don't doubt that if we'd had a chance to get to know each other without the whole Luna thing, I would still care a great deal about you. I don't want you to ever think that I only care about you because you pretended to be Luna."

He took a moment to think through the next part of his thoughts. "But I also know that if you were being faithful to how Luna really is, I would have come to care as much for her as I now do for you. If- no, when- Luna is found and returns, I would like to spend some time getting to know her better. And if I'd been able to spend time with both of you, I think I'd be be going nuts with the confusion. Even know, I find myself sometimes wishing you really were Luna, but other times, I feel so strongly for you that I don't even know what ot call it. I feel kind of like I'm falling in love with both Luna and Tonks, and yet sometimes I can't tell who is who, because I don't know the real Luna, I only know the Luna you've shown me. Is that who she really is? Would she like me the way I was starting to like her, before I learned she was you? How much of the Luna I know was just you, pretending, and how muc hwas the real Luna."

Tonks frowned and pulled slightly away from her boyfriend. She hadn't realised just how strange this whole situation could be for him. It was strange enough for her, and she'd been living this double life for several months now. She decided to explain in more detail the process she'd undergone to become Luna. "Harry, do you remember that I told you that I knew Luna very well? That we were friends long before she came to Hogwarts? Her mother and mine were friends back in school, and her mother was one of the few friends my mom stayed in touch with after she left school. So I grew up knowing her family and can honestly say that I've known Luna since she was born.

Harry, before I took this task, I did everything I could to learn what little I didn't know about Luna. With her father's permission, I accessed her private diary, and performed a spell that formed a sort of mental link between me and the diary, as well as the pensieve that Luna's mother had passed down to her. I know you've dealt with magical diaries before, and have even used a pensieve so you know a little about them. Let me explain something else though. You grew up as a muggle right? And you've got some understanding of computers? Good, then you'll understand this. What I did before coming here, aside from making myself look like Luna, was download all the memories from the Pensieve into my own mind as well as the contents of the diary.

Everything I do as Luna is derived from the part of her that is in my mind. Everything I did and said was something the real Luna would have said or done. Including starting the relationshp with you. She's had a crush on you since her 1st year when she saw how you were dealing with what people were saying about you and the Heir of Slytherin. She doesn't care about hte fame, in fact that's the last thing she'd ever care about. Material things don't matter to her. And they don't matter to me. I love you Harry, and I know better then anyone that when Luna comes back, she will grow to love you as much as I do."

Harry blushed. "Er, about that. What happens when she comes back, Tonks? Am I supposed to date her, and do I continue dating you? If what I'm feeling is love, then how can I stop seeing you for someone who I never really got the chance to know?"

Tonks laughed and leaned in, placing a kiss on Harry's cheek. "Harry, Harry, Harry. Who ever said you'd only be able to date one of us? I am not giving you up, and I'm certain that Luna would be as willing to share you as I am."

Harry's face darkened to match the Weasley family hair. "Share? What do you mean share?"

Tonks laughed gently at the confused look on Harry's face. "Oh, Harry. My dear, sweet, innocent Harry. Did you know, Harry that witches out number wizards by close to 4 to 1? And that there's a rather well known law that allows a wizard to marry as many woman as he wants, as long as he's able to support them and any children? And of course, that the women get along. Wouldn't do to have wives at each other's throat."

Harry gulped as he realized what Tonks was hinting. It was about as subtle as an axe to the groin, after all. "Er, still, Tonks, if that's true, then why haven't I ever met any relationships like that before."

"Oh Harry, who's to say you haven't?" Tonks smiled at her boyfriend. "The Patil twins? They aren't real twins Harry. Their mothers are sisters who married the same man, but they have separate mothers. Not only does the word twins refer to children born at the same time from teh same mother, but it's also used to mean siblings born to different mothers but who are the same age. Padma was born only about 20 minutes after Parvati, but it was the next day, so they have different birth dates. The same goes for the Zabini twins. One male, one female, yet by their family tradition, each has the same name, but different spelling. The girl is Blaze, B.L.A.Z.E, and her borther is Blaise, B.L.A.I.S.E. It's a lot more common then you think. Even the Creevey brothers have different mothers who are both married to their father.

And as hard as it might be to believe, your father had fully intended to marry a muggle woman who was your mother's best friend. It had been her who had convinced your mum to marry your dad. But she was killed before your parents graduated." She grinned. "Polygamy is more common then you think, Harry. It's just that no one ever explained what was going on to you, since every one in the wizarding world thought you knew, and the muggle world is strongly anti-polygamy. And a large part of that was because of the wizarding habit of marrying several wives and having more children -magical children- then mere muggles who are lucky to even find one woman to marry. So they passed laws making it illegal and immoral for a man to have more then 1 wife or a woman more then 1 husband."

Harry started hyperventilating. His parents had been planning on having a second wife in their marriage? If it wasn't for Voldemort, he'd have **two** mothers, and who knew how many siblings? "My mum would have really let my dad marry another woman?"

Tonks smiled. "According to what Remus and my mum told me, it was her idea. She loved Mary as much as she loved her father and was part of the reason it took as long as it did for your mother to agree to a date with your dad." She took a moment to consider telling Harry that she had met his parents and that they had talked with her mother about possibly arranging a marriage between them, but that they'd been killed before any details could be worked out. She decided instead to wait until Harry had reached an even level of emotional stability regarding the whole multiple wife thing and the rest of their rather odd conversation before even mentioning that she'd helped change his diapers a few times during those early visits. He was already too sensative to their age difference as it was, there was no need to remind him of the fact that she remember seeing him drool and wet the bed and knew where all his birhtmarks were. She was looking forward to searching for them on his older and more mature body, wondering if they'd grown or faded away like the freckles and the red tinge in his hair he'd had as a newborn.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, not understanding what the giggling girl, a strange mix of Luna and Tonks, was saying.

Tonks sighed then jumped as the clock started chiming 1am. "Look, I'll explain about alternative lifechoices and preferences another time. It's late, and I have Dumbsicle first thing in the morning. I don't want detention with that fat slug for falling asleep in her class, so I have to get to the dorm and get some sleep." She gave Harry a passionate kiss, and jsut as he started to respond, pulled away. "I'll see you during lunch, okay?"

Still dazed by the kiss and the new knowledge of just how different wizard life could be from muggle life, he nodded dumbly and mumbled his agreement. After she left, he sat for a few moments to try and think about what she'd said, but his mind was mush, and so he stood and returned to the dorm, where he numbly disrobed and slid into bed, remembering to place his glasses on the dresser next to his bed. He was asleep even before his head hit the pillow.

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Bellatrix sneered as she kicked aside the remains of the couple she had just finished torturing to death. She was currently alone now in the rather pedestrian home of the first people on the list her master had given her. It had been pathetically easy to overcome their meager defensive wards. It was obvious that most of their knowledge had been aquired only during their time at Hogwarts, now more then 50 years ago. There had been a lot of advances in wards, and in most areas of spell work since that time. Much of it was due to her master and his hated foe Dumbledore, with many advanced attack spells having been the work of Moody and the research department of the Ministy. Between the two masters of the craft and the people they'd gathered to each of their sides, spellcraft had made leaps and bounds beyond anything conceivable even at the time of the Founders. Spells that used to take minutes of intense casting and concentration could now be done with a mere flick of a wand.

She studied the room, casting a series of spells designed to show any hiding spaces or hidden defensive spells. A soft glow formed around several items in the room, identifying them as magical in nature. Though she doubted any of these would be of much aid to one as powerful as her master, she gathered them all and placed them in the VoidBag, one of the newer items available from Burgin & Blotts. It was similar to other bottomless bags, but could also be used to dispose of bodies or other undesirable remains of a less then moral or legal act. It's contents could only be removed by the person who was 'joined' to the back with a blood bonding spell. Though it was a little known fact, the current BottomLess Bags used by most of wizarding society had a feature built it that allowed any goblin of sufficient rank, or anyone acting as a proxy -be they wizards or otherwise- to remove items placed in the supposedly secure bags.

She then cast another spell that would seek for any residue left by the various magical means of sending messages. She found that they had a connection to the Wireless Wizarding Network, but that it had been malfunctioning for days and they hadn't noticed. They had recenttly received a visit from an owl, but they had no subscription to any of the various news papers. She cast a second spell to trace the letter that had arrived and a green glow from the fireplace attracted her attention. She saw immediately the remains of the letter in the fire and giggled madly.

"Fools, thinking you can hide the evidence of your crime against my master by a simple burning. You should have banished the letter. If you weren't already dead, I'd make you suffer for such stupidity." she magically summoned the letter and all the intact remaining pieces. Using a spell her master had learned from the personal spell book of Salazar Slytherin, she reconstructed the letter in it's entirety from the ashes. The spell would only work if there was at least a portion of the work still intact, and luckily, whoever had sent the letter had used a rather wet ink and parchment. It hadn't burned as fast nor as well as it should have, and once she saw the signature, she was extremely grateful for that fact.

"So Caldwell you fool, thinking you can warn your schoolmates that my master is going after them?" she laughed loudly and idly sent an incineration spell at the bodies, burning them to less then ash. She left the tiny, pathetic apartment, feeling pity for the purebloods who had given in and allowed themselves to be forced to live in such squalor when they should have been living as lords above the filthy mudbloods and muggle borns. She'd tortured, killed and maimed muggles who had lived better then the dearly departed couple she had just slain.

She reached the end of the street, and the edge of the anti-apparition wards that must have been set up by someone for the fools and then apparated to the next location on the list. There was much to do and many people to torture to death or insanity before she could retire to her comfortablely arranged rooms with a glass of fine wine and that new novel she'd found. If she ever met Stephen King, she'd have to remember to spare his life if he was a muggle. She might even talk to her master about sparing his life. He had written some of the modern masterpieces of romantic fiction. He had such a way of of creating mental pain and anguis in his characters, it was truly inspiring. Even more so then Lovecraft or Poe. Hopefully he was a wizard as she'd come to believe from his romances. His comedies were quite pleasing as well. He trully was the modern master of humor and romance. /an1\

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Ranma grinned as she ducked a kick thrown by Akane. They were sparring on what had become their rooftop. They came here every few days for a private sparring session, away from the eyes of everyone, including their students and the other teachers. At the moment they were practicing some of the more advanced kata of the Anything Goes school. Things that none of their students were ready for, and that only practitioners of their school were allowed to learn.

Ranma was currently being the defensive side of the kata while Akane worked on the offensive. Their moves would have looked more like a dance than a fight to an observer, if any observer could have kept up with their speed. Akane was much faster then she'd ever been in Nerima, and improving daily, even with the lessened training due to their work at the school. Ranma was incredibly proud of her, and every day grew to love her more then she thought possible.

They finished the kata with the flip toss that set Akane rolling over Ranma's back and into a forward roll on the hard surface of the rootop veranda. The blue haired girl spun into the ready position with perfect accuracy, fully balanced and rock steady on her feet, showing no sign of any effect from the strenuous actions of the kata. Fifteen feet away, Ranma stood like a red-haired mirror version. Both took a step back, standing at military style attention a before bowing and then calmly joining each other at a nearby bench, where they'd placed some water bottles, towels, and supplies in case of minor injuries. Each had several scratches and bruises from the intense workout, and they silently doctored each other, occassionaly sharing a gentle caress and the odd kiss.

"That felt great, Ranma. It felt like I was really flowing with the movements and allowing them to control me, instead of my mind forcing my body to remember them." Akane exclaimed after wiping her face dry of the sweat that had poured off her brow. In spite of the fact that it was the middle of winter, it was still a mild day. Appareantly the British Isles and the Uk didn't get the same type of winter as they did back home in Nerima or even on Angwan. While the temperature did drop and there was a few days here and there of snow, it was nothing like what happened on their island home. It was more like late fall or early spring for them, and with their increased resistance to the elements, they could exercise outside without being adversely affected by the weather.

Ranma smiled and cuddled up to her wife, allowing her aura to grow slightly to warm them both. Though they weren't really bothered by the slight chill in the air, that didn't mean they enjoyed it. They both prefered warmth to cold, and took every opportunity to snuggle in front of the fireplace in their chambers. They had considered having a fireplace added to their room at home, but decided that there were other priorities facing their people.

"Akane, I hate to break the mood, but what do you think is going to happen next? I mean, since Saffron joined this Voldemort person, and that one attack that was clearly done by Pheonix and Amazons, the few attacks have only been done by wizards. Is Saffron holding his forces in reserve, or is he doing something that we just haven't noticed yet? Is Fudge going to try anythign else, now that you've basically threatened open war on the UK Ministry if he tries to interfere in the school again? I'm worried, Ranma. There's so much going on. We've never had to worry about so many different things before." Ranma bit worriedly at her lip while overlooking the school grounds, which were covered in a light frosting of white. "I only ever really worried about saving you from whichever freak had kidnapped you that week, or month or whatever."

Akane hugged her wife closer, feeling a stirring of worry over the situation herself. "I don't know what to tell you Ranma. I'd say not to worry, but that would be insane. There's a lot of things that could happen, and most of them we should worry about making sure they don't happen. All we can do is do every thing we can to stop those who seek to endanger or harm innocent people. No one can ask for any thing more than that." She placed a gentle kiss on Ranma's cheek, then rested her head against the silky red hair. "As for Fudge and his toady Umbridge, well I think you've scared them. It's been more then two weeks, and Umbridge has even lifted the restrictions about practical work in most of the classes, though she still hasn't allowed Sirius to take back his class, at least Harry is getting to learn from him in private. And he's teaching what he learns to people in the HarHarTu. It's amazing what he's able to do and how good of a teacher he is. Why, he's even managed to get **you** to understand a thing or two about magic!" she exclaimed. /an2\

Ranma snorted in as masculine a manner as her current body could produce. It was only slightly less cute then a chipmunks squeak, instead of the harsh grunt of an angry rhino that her male body was capable of producing. She turned so that she was straddling her wife, holding her face only inches from Akane's rosy cheeks. "You shall pay for those words, dear. Pay dearly indeed." she stated in as menacing a tone as she could.

Akane smirked and stole a quick kiss from the mock scowling girl. "Oh, really? I am filled with fear for incuring the wrath of the great and mighty Ranmachan, enemy of all who despise cuteness and harmlessness."

Ranma grinned evilly and moved closer until her nose was touching Akane's. "Oh yes, you shall fear indeed." she stated.

Akane would have ignored her, but then she felt something moving over her more ticklish spots and a burst of giggles erupted. She realised immediately by the fake innocent look that came over Ranma's face what the other girl was up to. _So that's the way she wants to play it, huh? Well fine with me. I know her body as well as she knows mine._ Matching her wife's face, she let her hands move down to caress Ranma's hips. _She want's to play, let's play. The only way to fight a tickle war, is with a different kind of contact._ She made her movements as slow and deliberate as she could, caressing as muc hof Ranma's lower back and hips as she could, moving closer so that their chests were just lightly brushing every other breath. "What is it I am to fear, oh great and terrible cuteness?"

Ranma's hands moved at Aguriken speed, touching and tickling as many of Akane's hidden spots as she could get to. She grinned in appareant victory when Akane visibly fought to control her laughter, loosing control with a few short giggles and a guffaw or two. Then the affects of Akane's hands started to penetrate her mind, and she had to stiffle a moan as the soft, sensous movements stirred the well of desire she usually restrained in public. _That's cheating!_ she thought to herself as she could feel her mind beginning to scatter from the sensation of Akane's hand and ther brushing of their breasts as Akane slowed her breathing to match Ranma's own so that each time they took in a breath, their sensative globes would press lovingly against each other. So since her idea of starting a tickle war to lighten the situation had been diverted to a much more interesting solution, she decided to up the ante by moving her hands just . . . soo ... there.

Akane gasped as she felt the surge of warm pleasure from the unexpected placement of Ranma's hands. She whimpered as they begin to move slightly, increasing the duration, strength and frequency of the surges. She could think of nothing but to return the favor and soon, they were more occupied in their pleasant pursuits then in the worry of the greater world around them.

A breathless Ranma pulled away from Akane, and sat up, still straddling the now prone body of her wife. She shifted slightly to put a little distance between their bodies - not a lot, just enough to slip a few sheets of fine grain paper through. "Akane, we should probably take this to our room. I know that not a lot of people come out here, but we can be seen from some of the towers. Including the Owlery, which has become one of the more popular places since Umbridge was forced to remove the restrictions on the mail service. And unless you want to make love in front of half the people in school, then we need to either stop, or go to our room."

Akane looked towards the mentioned tower and blushed as she noticed that they had gathered an audience, eve nif they were about two hundred or so feet away. She'd forgotten that these people were used to watching a game from stands a hundred feet in the air, where the players were moving at speeds upwards of 50 miles an hour over a field some 1 square mile in size. She saw a flash, and then a large banner appeared below the window, bearing the unmistakable efforts of the soon to be deceased Wealey twins. It read:

This is just to let you know,

that we thank you for the show,

it was really nice to see,

as much of you as did we,

but sadly here's the the boom,

get ye hence to your room!

for though we wish you'd stay,

you'll thank us for this delay,

as all here are in despair,

because Umbridge is coming up the stair.

Even as she felt her anger and embarassement fighting each other for control, Akane couldn't help but admire the twins way with words. She and Rnama hurried straightened their clothing, and gathered their posessions then Akane sighed as instead of simply going into the nearby doorway and the stairs therein, Ranma leapt over the edge of the walkway, falling some thirty feet to the next rooftop, then began hopping from wall to roof to window ledge before disappearing around the corner of the tower (if a round edifice could be said to have a corner). Akane shook her head as she leapt to the railing and then glanced down towards the next level, some 30 feet down, and twenty feet away. She gathered her ki and kicked off, knowing that Ranma would only have taken this route if he felt she was capable of doing so even encombered by the small basket and heavy gi she was wearing.

She started out slowly, but the thought of what would be waiting for her in when she go to their room encouraged her to speed up, and she vanished from the sight of the audience nearly as quickly as Ranma had in the first place.

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Author Notes:

1.- Stephen King just seems like the kind of stuff a nutcase like Bellatrix would consider to be humor or romance. Same with Lovecraft and Poe.

2-This is one way Harry and Tonks are using to hide the training he's getting, by making seem like he was learning everything from Sirius, instead of someone else.


	35. Section 35

Here's chapter 35 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

With all the harry/luna fans out there, I decided to make this a harry/tonks/luna story, though that isn't the main focus. I'm hoping the action/adventure part of the story takes hold, but I want to develop the characters to a point where you feel for when there is danger. Hopefully I am able to make this as good as some of the other multiship

anything _like this _is thought, anything in quotes is spoken, like the following _like these_ is foreign language not translated by the translation spell cast on Ranma and the others. Also, if in Angwan/Japan, they are speaking Japanese. anything like _this_ are foreign languages there. Only underline is somethign being read.

between /an is author reference to explain a bit of detail about something mentioned that doesn't quite fit into writing in the story ie /an1 for Author notes, heading 1

When Voldemort or Harry are speaking and you see **this** then it's a parseltongue spell, or dialogue. Since I can't be bothered to make up words, I'll just use some random letters unless they are actually speaking and not just casting a spell. Don't worry, I'll track which combo's I use and the effects of the desired spell, I might have similar non-parseltongue spells. In the AN at the end, you'll find a list of any Parseltongue spells and the effects, usually related to something some kind of snake can do.

97987987987979879879797987

Icaras Caldwell was not having a good week. First he'd been approached by the oily Deathth Eater git Lucius Malfoy for an audience with his master. _Like I'd **ever** willingly meet old Tommy at anything less then his execution_ Then he'd been attacked in his home by a group of Death Eaters he suspected were commanded by Malfoy the Magnificient bootlicker. And they'd brought along those weirdos who had captured and beaten him before dragging him to an audience with his former school mate.

There he'd been tortured for hours. If not for his paranoia and planning and typical Dark Wizards arrogance, he would have been killed. Thanks to a well hidden but easily reachable port key, he'd managed to escape, but not before giving in to the childish impulse to taunt his hated foe. He idly wondered if any of Tom's followers had believed the truth he'd so casually sated regarding their lord's origins.

But the most recent aggravation to this week was being awoken from the impact of his body on the floor. It seems that his dreamless sleep potion mixed in to the healing potion made him shift about in his sleep. The result was he woke early, screaming in pain from the half healed wounds after a 1 foot drop to the ground. Luckily he had cast a permanent sterilization charm on the room to guard it against disease carrying germs. It was the same charm used at St. Mungo's and other wizarding hospitals.

He painfully crawled back into the bed, pleased that he'd thought ahead and arranged for the low slung bed instead of the normal height he normally prefered. He downed another potion, one mixed with Pupper Up and waited for the short burst of energy. Once it surged he got out of bed and took a moment to adjust and changed his bandages. Once that task was over, he went to his desktop tracking globe and tried to locate the owls he'd sent to carry his messages. He hoped that most had managed to warn his old friends, but doubted that all were safe. Some would be too stubborn to heed his warning while others would move too slowly, not knowing how quickly Tomm boy's lackeys moved when properly motivated.

He made a quick meal of chicken broth wit hfresh greens and noodles, then made a few notes on what he needed to do in order to accomplish some of the tasks on his list. He also took the time to redo the list in a more grammatically correct manner, feeling personally appalled to have so badly treated his beloved native tongue. Why, his grandfather -once a friend of the Bard's and an accreditted wordsmith of no small reknown himself- would have beaten him silly for the abuse he'd heaped on the sanctity of the written word.

He plotted until the pain started to pulse and then decided it was time to take another vial and get back to sleep. He had a lot of healing to do before he attempted to reacdh young Mr. Potter and his new allies.

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Sirius frowned as he bid goodbye to Harry. There were several things bothering him, not the least of which was the pair of Ministry appointed goons trailing after him. They followed him everywhere he went in the castle, just eager little turds hoping he'd err in his parole and then be arrestible again. Despite the influence and warnings of Harry's friends. He was gratefull to be allowed out of the confines of his chambers, as the walls had started to close in, but he wished he could do something without the twin pair of humorless asses shadowing him every where. The only privacy he got was those rare and precious times with Harry, passing on to him the Black Family's magical legacy. But even with the goons, it was a vast improvement over his time in Azkhaban and he was pleased to still be free.

There was something else bothering though about their training session. Harry was imporoving by an amazing amount in a very short time. He'd even cast some spells during their last session that were only taught to Aurors. The only conclusion Sirius could come to regarding Harry was that the boy was receiving training directly from an Auror. But given both the Miniester's actions towards Harry and the bubble of mugglenes she was forced to endure by Dumbledore, what Auror would be brave enough to defy both Fudge's scrutiny of Harry and Dumbledore's intentional lack of training to the recent generations.

Mad-Eye Moony immediately sprang to mind, but Sirius dismissed the thought for several reasons. The main being that if Harry's secret trainer was Mad-Eye, he -Sirius- would be in a lot more pain now and Harry would have been wandering around on the verge of exhaustion for the las few months. The only other possibilites were Shacklebolt and Tonks as they were the only others Harry might know well enough to allow him to cast spells at him.

Sirius blinked. He knew he could immediately dismiss Kinsley, since the senior Auror was currently on an assignment that would make it difficult to come to Hogwarts to teach Harry. Even magical transportation had it's limits, after all. But Tonks, his favorite cousins' -the only cousin he wouldn't gladly strangle at first glance, really- daughter, as he recalled. She was currently here in the castle, pretending to be a student who had gone missing during the summer. She was using her gifts to pose as he missing friend, Luna Lovegood while keeping a distant eye on Harry and his friends. She would never break cover, having too much prider in her talents as both an Auror and a metamorph to break out of her role. The only way she'd have broken out would be to protect Harry -in which case he would have heard about any dangers to his godson- or if . . . or if ...

If Harry had somehow discovered on his own what was going on. In which case, the mischevious girl might have given in to her feelings for Harry. And considering how cheerful Harry was in comparison to their previous talks and his rather cheeky discussion of a mysterious girlfriend, perhaps the boy returned the metamorphmagi's feelings. He couldn't fault either really, since Harry had led a difficult life and would need someone who had experieneced a somewhat similiar life to his own. Anything less in a relationship would be deemed unworthy by Harry, who unlike most boys his age, was looking for more then a snog and shag in a broom closet. Harry needed stability and maturity in a relationship, and that meant someone who'd had something nearly as difficult as his own. Most girls his own age were too emotionally frivolous to withstand the intensity of emotion Harry lived with each day. They'd drown in his emotions and be left as little more them empty husks, overwhelmed by the power of Harry's drives.

He chuckled a bit, recalling a pink haired five year old proudly holding a curiously quiet Harry, who's green eyes were staring at the pixie girl's hair and nose as she lengthened them and changed her hair color. At five, her talents were limitted to changing her hair color, size and shape, and the length and shape of her nose. Occassionaly she could change her eyes, but doing so usually gave her a headache and blinded her for an hour or so she rarely did.

Harry had been fusy for days and that was the only reason James and Lils had brought him along to the meeting. Every moon eyed, matrimonial minded woman (and a few of the like minded men) had tried calming the teething child's cries, but nothing had worked. That is, nothing worked until Andie and Nym arrived by the floo.

Nym had been startled to hear the cries of a baby, having beeen expecting to be the only person under a million years old at the meeting. Her surprise had caused her to loose control of her budding abilities and her hair had started convulsing through the color spectrum as her nose lengthened and shortened out of control. This attraction, along with her startled exclaimation of 'what?' drew young Harry's attention and soon he had fixated on the girl and her unintentional display. His young mind had immediately forgotten all about his fit and he began clapping and giggling while reaching out to the girl.

Nym had been allowed to keep Harry occupied and entertained the boy, making her feel important to be trusted with watching the not quite 1 year old. She had recovered control and started doing some of the exercises in the metamorphmagi book she'd been given for her birthday, changed her nose to match those of the adults in the room, while mixing their hair styles and color. It had been the first and only time the pair had met until Harry's 4th year. Less then a month later, the Potter's had gone into hidding to protect Harry from Voldemort after the news of a prophecy had been released.

Sirius snorted as the fabled prophecy came to mind. More people knew about the prophecy then Dumbledore willingly admitted. He believed it was some massive secret that had to be kept from the world and most especially from the Dark Lord. The old codger refused to believe that most people knew of the prophecy and it's general contents then the three of four he thought. Hell, most people coudl recite the damn thing. Well, most of those professionally involved in the matter (meaning Aurors, Minstry personel, and hospital staffs.) Hell even if they didn't know the exact wording, they knew enough to get the gist of the damn thing. All of the Marauders had known the prphecy, and if Pettigrew knew, then so did Voldemort. Unless the bastard rat had somehow managed to do something right and keep the foul creature from learning the entire thing. Even Andie knew the whoel thing, Lils ahving told her before they'd gone into hidding. Sirius wasn't sure who else knew the entire thing, but it was a damn sight more then Stumbledore thought.

Deciding to put away the depressing thoughts of the sneaky old bastard and that thrice cursed prophecy, he began to plot out his elaborate revenge against his godson and cousin. Try and have a secret relationship from

**me?** Have you forgotten that I am Mr. Padfoot, original member of the most reknowned pranksters in the History of Hogwarts? You shall both regret not telling me that you were dating. he began chuckling then cackling under his breath as he walked the halls, drawing curious looks from passing students and making his shadows jump and hastily draw their wands as his chuckling became full throated cackling.

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Ryoga grunted as one of the Ravenclaws he was training managed to land a blow he could actually feel. He grinned wildly, pleased to see that his training regime was working. The young man facing him had been rather scrawny and shy before the training, now he looked fit and you could see that he was in much better shape then before. As were the rest of his house mates. This had been shown as Ravenclaw had played a Quidditch match recently and for the first time in a long while, they'd managed to out play Slytherin. The chasers had been able to make longer, stronger passes and throws, allowing them to remain further from the goal in order to score. The beaters had hit the ball with a strength beyond that of the Slytherin pair, sending the bludger screaming around the pitch from one end to the other, using it to distract the keeper and allowing the chasers to throw the ball through the goal hoops as he dodged the ball.

He swung a fist, trying to get the younger boy to back away. He was surprised when instead of backing away, the boy took the hit (admittedly Ryoga was holding back, but he was still hitting hard enough to crack the training posts they used) and spung with the blow, bringing his foot up and slamming Ryoga harder then ever in the side of his head. Ryoga was stunned momentarily, more by the move and the power behind the blow, then by the blow itself. There had been a lot more ppower then he'd expected and his distraction allowed the boy to land several punches ot his midsection, taking Ryoga's breath. The boy finished the sequence with a second reverse round house kick. The move rocked Ryoga on his heels, as he'd been standing a little off balance from his earlier punch and he had to flip up and back to avoid a third kick aimed at the leg keeping him upright.

Once he landed he took a stance and held out his hands, palms forward. "Halt." he called. He was pleased to see his student halt in mid stride for a follow series of attacks, noticing the series he'd chosen as one of his own favorites when fighting those few oponents stronger then himself. "That was great, Stephen. You did those almost perfectly, and you even surprised me by taking that punch. I wasn't expecting you to do that and that let you hit me with those punches and kicks. With a little more speed and power behind you, you could have knocked me off my feet with that last kick. Very good job, Stephen. For now, I want you to practice the moves in that sequence and work on getting the kicks in faster. You spun a little slower then you need for it to work properly, and were a bit off with the punches. You should have been hitting about three inches higher into my diaphram instead of my abs. That would have knocked all my breath out and then you would have had a few extra seconds for those kicks." He nodded in dismisal and watched as the boy bowed then went to one of the wooden practice men to work on improving his speed, a wide grin on his face.

Ryoga turned to look over to the sparing session Taro was doing with another of the 3rd year Ravenclaws. Taro was a little more brutal in his approach, holding back far less then Ryoga, and being more critical in his review of the sparing match. Somehow though, the students were able to set aside any personal resentment and anger and focus on listening to the truth behind his words and working on improving themselves instead of the harshness of his statements. Being Ravenclaws, they were able to be more analytical in their approach. They had realised the first day Taro tore into one of their number that he was doing so not out of a personal attack on the young girl, but because he wanted to make sure they knew how to properly protect themselves against their enemies.

Right now there were 6 other matches going on, and Ryoga made a little tour, halting some of them and addressing individual corrections on placement and form. The rest of the Ravenclaw students were either working on improving their strength of their stamina by doing various calisthenic exercises. A few were like Stephen working at the practice men, and there were a couple simply shadow boxing. Ryoga kept an eye on Taro, still not fully trusting the older man to held his temper and pull his punches enough to remain safe for their students. Taro might have calmed down a great deal, and seemed to have gained a bit of respect from Ranma, having been chosen to go to London with the group that had visitted the Ministry, but Ryoga wasn't sure how long the civility would last. They'd had too many conflicts with the Chinese boy for every thing to have been settled simply by having Ranma advise him in taking a less embarrasing name.

Having finished his round, and seeing Taro excusing his third student, he glanced at the floated, glowing clock hanging over their training area. It was nearly time to end for the day, so he clapped his hands loudly twice, the signal for all actions to cease for the time being. "All right everyone, it's nearly time to end for the day. I want the 6th years to gather up the mats, 5th and 7th, get the weights. 1st and 4th, you get the rest of the practice gear. 2nd and 3rd. Hit the showers first." It had become standard practice to divide the clean up chores into pairs of years, with one pair being allowed to use the common shower room first. Ryoga moved over to Taro, who was towelling off from his training session. "How do you think it's working out?" he asked, pulling out his wand and banishing the clock. _I love finally being better then Ranma at something, even if it has to be magic instead of fighting._

Taro grunted before grabbing abucket of water and dousing himself. Luckily, Taro and Ryoga had finally managed to get a bit of control over their curses, enough for one simple dousing of cold water. If a second bucket were dumped on Taro, he'd shift into his massive form. "Better then I thought. I haven't had the urge to pound you or Saotome into paste since the first day. And some of these twerps are finally showing a bit of talent at martial arts. As for learning magic, well it's not a big priority, but I'm glad I'm doing better then Saotome. Though from what I hear his wife is doing pretty good. Or is that husband? I can never tell which part femboy likes better."

Ryoga shook his head. "Actually, from what Ranma tells me, it no longer matters what form either of them are in to each other. It might seem weird to you and me, but it seems to work for that idiot and Akane."

Taro faced Ryoga and gave a grin. "You ever consider accidentally wandering into their room when they're both female?"

Ryoga started to frown, but his face froze as an image of a naked Ranmachan and Akane locked in a passionate embrace entered his mind. His nose threated to explode, but he was able to control himself. "Er, anyone who knows them has probably wondered about them being together as girls, Bull. But the flip side of that is this: Picture them together as guys. It should clear your head fairly quickly." Ryoga stated, pleased to note the shiver of revulsion in the other boy's form at the thought. He slapped the taller man on the shoulder. "Any way, why don't we head off to class. I don't know about you, but I finally found something that Ranma's not very good at, and I want to make sure I stay better then him. Even if it is magic."

Taro grinned and returned the friendly shoulder slap. "Damn straight, pigboy. Let's head to Charms."

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So here's another chapter. Hope you're enjoying.


	36. Section 36

Here's chapter 35 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

sorry for all the delays. work is going hard and bouncing around shifts have left me with little energy to be creative. things are starting to settle down, and I have 2 chaps to type up and post for this story, another chap for my Smallville/Stargate story, I had an inspiration for a story for Firely/Serenity with a little Xmen thrown in.

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Harry dove to the side, narrowly missing being slashed by a purple whip like spell identical to the one that had hit Hermione only a few minutes before. He was too busy dodging spells to really worry about his friends, but a small voice in his head was chiding him for letting his friends get hurt.

He rolled to his feet getting ready to fire a spell, but a barely heard sound caused him to fall to his back as a sword swung through the space formerly occupied by his neck. Seeing his attacker off balance from the attack, he slammed his fist into the knee, popping the knee cap and causing the warrior to fall to the ground on both knees. Once he judged it close enough, Harry swung his foot up, catching the winged man in the temple, knocking him out and possibly crushing the soft orbital bones.

Harry used the momentum of the kick to back roll and regain his feet. He bound teh man with Immobulus and silenced him to be safe, then looked around to see how the battle was going.

Seeing that it was pretty even for the two sides, he took a moment to rest and recuperate some energy, cursing the fates for choosing this day for the first open conflist of the new war.

'It started out so well!' he thought, his attention caught by a roar and a booming sound from teh far end of the village. He was glad to hear it, as it proved that Ranma was still in the fight. The sound following the roar was the explosion of a Dementor.

Once the attack had began, the Dementors moved in and despite a wall of Patroni from all of the HarHarTu members, they continued forward. In an attempt to distract them, Ranma had transformed and revealed his dragon form to the entire village and the students of Hogwarts. He took off towards the approaching Dementors and was soon followed by the monstrous form of Bull Taro. They attacked the beasts, but were swarmed and slowed. The Dementors tried to suck their souls from a distance, and Ranma had faltered and nearly fallen from the sky, but he seemed to shake off the effects and renewed his flight.

The first pass through the ranks of the feared creatures, his slashing claws caught one of them and tore through the fluttering cloak. They ripped through the material and must have punctured the beast's form, for there was a pyrotechnic explosive delay that made the World Cup look like a series of children's sparklers. That explosion repeatediself several times as Ranma's limbs lashed out. The explosions were strong enough to knock Ranma's form around in the air, and it was only the inherant strength and magic of his dragon form that kept him from falling from the sky.

To give the Dementors credit, they did not flee, but swarmed Ranma, ignoring Taro who had to retreat, unable to ignore the cold and the soul searing fear that the Dementors projected. Instead the winged, tentacled minotaur returned to ground and attacked a group of mountain trolls, then moved on to a pair of Giants as Ryoga and Hagrid charged the trolls. Between them, they'd be able to handle the 5 10 foot tall, green dusty skinned, foul smelling beasts while Taro tried to control the approach of the pair of 18 foot giants.

With neither side being fond of the Dementors, the battle soon renewed. It was incredibly vicious, as the Death Eaters and their allieas had not bee prepared to battle without the Dementors weakening their prey. And though greatly outnumbered, the defenders consisted of mostly the HarHarTu group and the other students. These were glad to finally have a chance to put their skills to the test, though they also knew how serious the situation was. They were supported by a half dozen Aurors stationed in the village, a few of the braver and more fight ready shopkeepers, and those professors who had chaperoned the horde of children to Hogsmead.

Harry had upon first realizing the situation, been placed in command by general concencise of the students. He split them into groups of various size, then assigned them to protect a certain location or locations depending on the side of the group. He chose one of the senior HHT members to lead each group of mixed students and villagers. Not surprisingly, these included the Weasley's, Hermione, Neville, Susan Bones and Cho Chang. Luna had changed to Tonks and joined the Aurors, not wanting to accidentally shift in the stress of battle. Each group had at least 3 people (Nevill's group of him and the Patil twins, all three of whom were among the most powerful in HHT and would protect the entrance to Knockturn to block of Death Eater escape or reinforcement) to 10(Cho's mostly Ravenclaw group who were assigned to Honeydukes and the largest group of not combatants).

Ginny and her group were palced at teh Hogshead bar. She had Dean, Seamus, Lavender, Hannah, and Justin with her. Hermione was sent to gather the children not with HHT and tohse not attending Hogwarts to keep them protected and calm. Fred and George split up, George gathering thoe people from each house that had been excelling in the martial arts classes, while Fred gathered the pranksters of each house. Fred's group went to protect Fortesque's, while George brought his broup towards the residential area. Ron and Susan split the rest of HHT into small sub groups and spread them out throughout the rest of the village while they would roam to assist who needed their help.

The Nerima Wrecking Crew as they were known in Japan, split into their own groups. After Ranma changed to dragon form and went after the Dementors. Taro of course tried to follow, but he couldn't handle the press of that many Dementors in one place. So instead he went to join Ryoage against the mountain trolls that appeared. He wasn't there long, as almost immediately from the other side of the village, a pair of giants began bashing their way through the village. He was the only one aside from Ranma who could match the strength of those monsters, so he went after the pair. Ryoga wasn't alone long as Hagrid joined him against the trolls, the half giant beind a match for the beasts.

Tofu brought Kasumi to the group of Aurors and professors, who had surrendered command to Tonks. He then started to flow through the village ready to help where he could.

Akane was joined by Khu Lon, Mu Tsu and Harry himself, and they had taken the central position in the town square. They arranged themselves at the points of the compass, forming a loose circle. Each would have their own sections of the village that they could see and defend with long range attacks while also dealing with the more physical attacks of the Dark Pheonix group.

At the moment, Harry was facing a number of Death Eaters with only a handful of warriors. Akane was facing a group of angry Amazon's and Musk soldiers. Mu Tsu was glaring up with uneering ease at a flock of Pheonix soldiers who were accompanied by a number of full pheonix. Khu Lon was faced by the only well balanced group of attackers.

Behind him, Harry heard Akane sigh and comment. "Oh. There's only 20 of them. Barely a workout."

The young wizard was surprised by the statement and startled by the response from his other allies.

"Don't worry, Saotome-domo. I'm sure it will not be as easy as it seems. I know most of the Amazon's you face and many would have been challenges for your spouse prior to his Ascension. They are far superior than those few you have faced before, and were as good as Xian Pu before we left the village. And while we have had our adventures, Xian has not been under the same training levels as these warriors. They would have surpassed her by now. And you know how easily you handled her, the one time she tried to force the issue of your relation with Lord Ranma."

Something occured to Harry as the two groups slowly warmed up by casting low level, easily blocked spells and attacks towards each other. "Hey, Mu Tsu, where is Xian?" He took another look and noticed something else. "And most of Slytherin isn't here either." He had a bad feeling about that. The only upper years he could see were the identically named but spelled differently Zabini twins. He felt bad for the pair, who's parents had named Blaise and Blaize. He didn't know either well, but he had heard that Blaise the boy was a pouf, and Blaize the girl was often called 'The Ice Queen' for the almost total emotional control she displayed. He could also see Daphne Greengrass and a handful of others he couldn't name. Those who were missing were not surprisingly those who's parents were either Death Eaters or known supporters of Voldemort.

"She did not come to the village today." Khu Lon replied, glaring at their enemies. "She has fallen behind in her studies and chose to remain and attempt to improve her meager skills. She has been too interested in bedding anything male and most females that get within her grasp. She has neglected both her martial and magical training. I believe that she's succeded in bedding almost half of Slytherin already. At first I thought her goal to be to try and force Ranma to some kind of jealous fit. But lately, I have noticed oddities of behaviour I cannot understand."

Before anyone could say any more about any missing students, a familiar voice resonated through the streets.

"People of Hogsmead and Students of Hogwarts. Lay down your wantds and swear service to Lord Voldemort and be spared. Our Lord wishes only to protect us all from the blood traitors and the impure filthy mudbloods whose existance is an insult to the true masters of magic. No one need be harmed, save those the great Lord has decreed as enemies to Magic.

Those are the members of the Order of the, the staff of Hogwarts, the Aurors and Hitwaizards. Individuals such as Albus Dumbledore, Alastor Moody, Icarus Caldwell, the blood traitors Andromeda and Nymphadora Black, Sirius Black, the werewolf Remus Lupin, the discraceful Weasley family, the mudblood Hermione Granger and the rest of the group known as Harry's HardLuck Tutoring. All have been convicted of crimes against the Magical World and sentenced to death." The voice paused for a moment before continuing.

"Oh my, I seemed to have forgotten someone. Also ordered to surrender and accept his death is Harry James Potter, son of blood traitor James Potter and his mudblood bitch Lily Evans."

Harry felt his rage boil over and even before the speaker finished, he was casting a reducto to it's owner. Said owner dodged the attack before sending one of his own towards the youth. Harry's attack hit a death eater in the chest, crushing his ribs and sending him flying backwards, obviously dead or dying as the shards of his ribs had diced his lungs and heart. The commanding Death Eaters attack slammed into Harry and sent him flying backas well. The main difference being that Harry was hit with the mid level spell Expeliarmus, while the DE was hit with the explosive Reducto curse.

He landed painfully on his back and rolled several times. Only instinct allowed him to keep hold of his wand. He lay there winded from the dual impacts of spell and ground. He was again saved by instinct as he rolled to get to his feet, the space where his head had lain was hit by a nasty looking yellowish spell. He immediately raised his wand and cast the strongest shield he knew. "Draconus Tempores" Better known as the Time of the Dragon, it created a shield around the caster that was as strong as Dragon Scale and just as resistant to magical attack.

It was struck immediately by several spells he recognized including both the Cruciatus and the Killing Curse. He returned fire with a combo of Reducto-Bombardo-Infligratte. This scattered his attackers though 3 stayed in a loose triangle formation.

"What, no greeting today?" Harry yelled, allowing a few spells to hit the shield, knowing that it would block most spells but could only last a few short moments.

So he rose to his feet and cast a few more spells, hitting a few more of the white masked attackers. The two bronze masked and the silvery masked figures were able to block his attacks, as Harry found cover behind a low stone wall. "So where's your master Lucius? I would have thought he'd be here since the rest of you lot are so incompetent?"

A flash of familiar green passed over his head and hit a stone column which exploded in a fairly impressive display of raw power.

"You are as foolishly arrogant as always, Potter. Just like your damned father and whorish mother. They thought they could defy the will of the Dark Lord and paid dealy for their arrogance. I do not understand how he could honor them by granting them death by His Own Hand. Or why He feels that **you **are the one who might be his equal. You are nothing!" Lucius ranted, continuing to throw spells.

Harry allowed a smirk as he felt his Draconus shield collapse. He replaced it with a Protego and Defenso while tring to think of what to do next. He risked a glance over the wall, and was pleased to see that despite what Lucius was saying, he and his surviving allies were behind cover as well. But something behind them drew his attention and his smirk grew into a wild grin.

"Swish and Flick." he whispered to himself as he stood and cast a spell that narrowly missed the head of the figure to Malfot's right.

"Terrible aim, Potter." The figure snarled. "And a pathetic spell for battle." he retaliated with the same flame spell Draco tried against Ranma a few months before at the welcome feast.

Harry waited for the flames to pass, knowing his attacker would not want to drain himself by sustaining the fire. When the flames died out, Harry rose to his feet and seeing that the Wingardium had struck his true target, allowed the next part of his plan to unfold.

"Accio Troll!" he shouted, the summoning charm grabbing the floating form of the large creature and drawing him speedily back towards it's source. Unfortunately for them, the Death Eaters were between the massive form and it's summoner, and were bowled over by the body. It continued forward until it slammed to a halt as it impacted the two bronze masked Death Eaters and crushed them up against their own barrier. This shock awake the troll, who had been thoroughly beaten by Ryoga. That person was easly toying with the other four trolls, he and Hagrid making a game of knocking them around.

Unlike his companions, Lucius had reacted immediately at hearing Harry scream. He launched himself aside with a well placed Expeliarmus into the ground at his feet. The force sent him whizzing to the side and he landed gracefully on his feet. He watched as his fellows were crushed by the troll and sighed. The Dark Lord would not be pleased to lose those two. They were some of his most loyal and vicious of His servants. As he continued to scan Hogsmeade, he idly wondered how his sister in law would react to the news that her husband and his brother had died by Potter's hands.

"Well done, Potter. You just killed Rudolphus and Rodolpho Lestrange. Bellatrix is goign to do things to you that even I shudder to consider. While I don't know if she was even fond of her husband, they were married and Bella's always been rather . . . eccentric when it comes to the sanctity of marriage."

"Well at least that psycho bitch has something normal in that twisted hell she calls a mind." Harry wasn't trying to goad Lucius any more, only stall him. He knew that by now Dumbledore and the Order would have heard of the attack and be on their way.

Lucius ignored the boy and took stock of the battle. He grimaced as he saw that most of his fellow Death Eaters had already been defeated and that their allies were the only ones still fighting and defeating the defenders. The students, aided by the Aurors and Professors as well as the Hogmeade population were able to hold off the Death Eaters, but their allies were a new experience for most and though some of the students were able to hold off their attackers, the allies were far more experienced and vicious fighters. Only the group of foreigners who had invaded Hogwarts could match their prowess. Even the giants were being defeated by the winged beast and now that the dragon had finally chased off the last of the Dementors, it was turning to return and focus on the lesser threats of the weakened forces. Lucius doubted that even with the combined forces of all the Death Eaters that had come to this attack they could stop the dragon.

Knowing that his Lord would not be pleased but also knowing He would be be even less pleased should his followers be captured or defeated by Dumbledore, he cast the Dark Mark into the sky, then pressed his wand to his own Mark. At once, all the Death Eaters still standing and the ranking members of the defeated were ported away. Only the dead and maimed were left behind. The giants and trolls were left with the other allies, but the warriors vanished thanks to the Pheonixes sent along with them. They also left a mark, one of a burning Pheonix grasping a male figure and burning it to ash.

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Akane was almost enjoying herself. This was the first real battle she'd been involved with since Ranma had deemed her training complete. And aside from some fights with Ukyo, Kodachi and Shampoo about Ranma, it was the first fight outside of sparring since she began her real training under Ranma's instruction.

She was more then holding her own, easily beating back a variety of Amazon, Musk and Pheonix warriors. Just a year ago, she couldn't even block or land a blow against the weakest of her attackers. She'd been angr, fearful and arrogant to a dangerous degree. Being a little arrogant, or angry or afraid was only human. At times, every one has those feelings. Lesser, more acceptable levels of arrogance was called confidence and to be successful in any field you needed to be confident that you would and could succeed.

But if taken too far and to the point that you just assume that you would succeed without effort becomes arrogance and that is where people get in trouble. It was a fine line to balance, and Akane knew that sometimes it was almost impossible to distinguish in some people. Ranma was a fine example of the delicate balance. At times he had allowed his confidence to become arrogance. For the most part, while others called his behaviour arrogance, he was simply demonstrating a high level of self-confidence. He would boast at being the best, and he was mostly able to prove it by defeating all his rivals and challengers no matter what they challenged him to. So to his enemies he was arrogant to claim to be the best and to state that 'Ranma Saotome don't lose', he proved his confidence by beating them repeatedly at their own specialties.

And if someone occassionaly got the better of him, usualy due to some really unusual form of combat, he would refuse to accept it and train until he was able to decicively defeat the challenger. And once he deafeated an opponent, that person had never been able to beat him again, no matter what new tricks they learned because Ranma had added their skill to his own, and would also raise his training to always remain ahead of others. It was a trait that Akane was slowly beginning to adopt for herself.

She used the shaft of a summoned hammer to block a sword strike, while launce a red ki sphere at an attacker coming from her blind side. She was full of energy, her body producing and burning through immense amounts of adrenaline. She could feel her muscles being fed by the hormones as she fought not for pride or fame, but to protect those hwo could not protect themselves. She knew that if she fell, if she was defeated, others would pay for her failure-most likely with their lives.

For the first time Akane slipped into the mental state that exclude all else but the moment. She was no longer concius of her movements, only that the threats continued. Her body moved faster then thought, blocking strikes and retaliating with her own.

She moved across her are, rendering her opponents unconcious and moving to the next with ease. Along the way, she hardly noticed the slight glow that surrounded her as she continued to dodge kicks, punches, and weapon strikes that came at her. Her enemies were among the best fighters in teh world, and all blooded in battle. They had a common history of 3000 years of combat, mostly against each other. Every one of them was a walking arsenal where every inch of their bodies was a lethal weapon.

Yet Akane knew she would win. For she had something none of them did or ever would possess. She was loved by Ranma Saotome, and he had personally trained her. Her father had started her on the Path, and Ranma- with some help from Khu Lon and Happosai- had brought her the rest of the way. Three of the most powerful and skilled fighters in the world had trained her to reach their level. She still had a long way to go, but she was now much closer to their level then she had been, and was far beyond all but the few others who might be in the top 20 in the world. Comparatively, she was now to the Amazon's what Ranma had been to her when they met. When her own arrogance had almost cost her the love of her life, not to mention her own life itself.

Unlike her beloved husband, she didn't toy with her attckers, She didn't want rivals or sparring partners. She didn't want them to attack again in order to brag about it. She wanted them to know that she was serious. That she could and would protect herslef and her family. That anyone who attacked her would be hurt. That they meant nothing to her and she didn't care how they felt. If they tried to hurt her or worse, she'd raise the bar and hurt them far beyond anything they could imagine. The arrogant, spoiled Akane of Pre-Ranma existence was gone. In her place stood a weapon crafted by powers beyond those of the so called rational mind.

She was a Warrior of Budo, and she embraced the Way. With Ranma at her side, she could accomplish almost anything. They had plans for the future, and no one would stop them from accomplishing those plans. Not even the demi-god or Dark Lord.

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AUTHOR"S NOTES

so here's chap 36. hope you enjoyed the battle. I still have another chap written out that I need to type, and more ideas are flooding in now that things at work are kind of settling down. I always get the most productive between April and July. Goes back to highschool. when others were working on end of year projects, I'd spend my time writting.

In other news, I just celibrated my 1 year anniversary at work.


	37. Section 37

Here's chapter 37 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

here's the next chapter of course, and I hope you all are enjoying my stories. for all concerned, yes, I will be continuing my stories even if there are delays in when they get posted. I have some of the next 'State of ours' written out, a little blurb that could become a Neko's Mate story.

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The battle was over. The attackers had been defeated. The village was saved. Yet for Harry, his friends and the survivors, the day was lost. Though victorious in battle, they had suffered loses. 19 villagers lay dead, with dozens injured. Among the defenders, only had perished, though most had suffered mild injuries.

Justin Finch-Williams and Theresa Bandry had been killed, each taking at least 1 Avada Kedavra curse. Justin had shown a level of courage and loyalty that bosltered his Hufflepuff housemates in their time of need. Theresa's Ravenclaw housemates were equally proud of the sheer number and variety of spells she'd used in defense of the village. Those closest to the pair were being comforted by their Heads of House while other professors stoot at guard positions. The Aurors searched the village for any remaining Death Eaters.

The defeated death eaters, both dead and living were gathered, demasked and charged by the Aurors. There were 8 dead, another 3 whose wounds would kill them in the next few hours and 2 others who were apparated immediately to St. Mungo's. Another dozen or so unconcious Death Eaters had wounds ranging from bruises to concusions or broken bones. Several had even undergone some slight physical transformations, evidence of the Weasley twins products and their usefulness in battle as well as pranking. 3 of the trolls and 1 of the giants were also dead, with the others being restrained and unconcious.

Harry had gathered the leaders of HHT, including the redisguised Tonks as Luna. This personage had slipped into his embrace after ensuring that he was fine. And surprisingly for once, he was fine. Mostly thanks to the increase in agility and endurance due to the martial arts training. Harry's group was joined by the NWC. Ranma remained in dragon form, having landed nearby and giving a continous rumble of discontent as he watched the Aurors and other officials.

There had been a few tense minutes when the Aurors arriced to witness the landing of Ranma's massve form. But before a spell could be cast Colin, Hannah, Susan and Su Li disarmed the Aurors and had them face down with their arms locked in various pain hold technics. They didn't release the holds until Akane ordered them to, and were reluctant to hand back the wands until Harry ordered it. The display left no doubt in the minds of both the Aurors and Dumbledore who was in charge in the minds of the students.

The Aurors who'd been disarmed were harrassed playfully by the others until several more found themselves on their backs, disarmed and with wands pointed at them by other members of HarHarTu. Evem some who'd thought themselves capable in physical self-defense were easily taken down. Auror, Level 3, Frank Flowley, a former world ranked boxer was flattened and hogtied by an 11year old Slytherin, James Dunlevee. Dunlevee's previous claim to noteriety was being the shortest human at the school, standing a mere 4foot 5 inches in height. In perspective, Professor Flitwick stood 4foot 2 inches and was something of a giant among dwarves.

Again Akane called them to release the holds while Harry ordered them to surrender the Auror's wands. There was no more teasing, and now the Aurors kept their wands ready and eyed all the Hogwarts studends suspiciously. They started taking reports and statements into portable pensieves for later review. There was surprise on their part as they watched the various groups of students holding their own against their mixed group of attackers. Outright astonishment met the various memories of Ranma's destruction of the Dementor's as well as the ease Ryoga defeated the trolls and Taro restrained the giants.

Dumbledore, acting as Supreme Mugwump along with Kingsley Shacklebolt as Head Auror approached the group, receiving wary glances and nervous shifting. "Well Harry, seems to be a most eventful day. How are you, my boy?" the elderly wizard asked.

Harry was even more wary then his friends. "Physically, just a few bruised and scratches sir. Mentally, it hurts. I know that what I did and what I ordered had to be done. But it still hurts when I think about who was hurt and who died. Justin, before he diead, killed one of the Death Eaters with a cutting curse I showed him in the HarHarTu sessions. That's why the Death Eater's hit him with the AK, instead of torturing him with the crucio or other spells." Harry gave a harsh laugh turning his head to glance at the Death Eaters bodies. "Turns out it was Marcus Flint. He tried to duck the curse and instead of hitting his arm, it tore into his throat. Flint could join Nick as Nearly Headless Ghost."

At his side, Luna tried to comfort him through their contact, knowing that Harry was in pain from what he had done.

"That is nothing compare to me. I killed hte LeStrange brothers and maybe a few others. And I meant for it to happen. I could have used different spells, but I chose the Reducto and others and they hit where I was aiming. Except for one where my target moved aside and the spell hit a death eater behind him, crushing his chest like a lorry ran him over. Same with the cutting curse I used to sever a few arms and legs. Some of those death eaters won't live long. I'm a killer, sir. Just like that snake faced bastard."

Dumbledore reached out to graps Harry by the shoulder that wasn't home to a teen girl's head. "Harry, you did nothing wrong. You are nothing like Tom. He enjoyes hurting others. He kills because it amuses him and makes others fear him. The men you killed today and all those that died serving Tom and his allies were here to hurt and kill as many defenseless people as they could. They did not count on you and your friends and your ability to defend not only yourselves, but others as well. 19 villagers died today Harry, before you rallied your two groups to defend the village. The only casualties after that were Ms. Bandry and Mr. Finch-Williams.

There were minor injuries, some mild as well, but nothing lethal. All can be healed with treatment and time. No one will ever be able to tell how many lives you saved today Harry. While I will not suggest that you ignore the pain of today's events and the losses suffered, I do suggest you take comfort knowing that without you and your friends, many other good people would have been taken from us. More of your your friends would have died without your training, as well as the training by our guests.

By training them, teaching them to defend themselves, you enabled them to save others. I have witnessed the pensieve memoreis of those who bore withness for Ms. Bandry and Mr. Finch-Williams. Young Theresa bravely pushed aside a pair of young children and stepped into the path of the killing curse sent by 4 Death Eaters. Justin was just as brave, he miss aimed a curse as he attmpted ot shield Madam Malkin and Rosemerta in front of Fortesque's. He too was hit by multiple killing curses."

"Harry, for now, Professor Dumbledoe is right. Don't ignore the pain of the people who died today. Instead use their deaths to focus on why you are fighting. You always ask 'Why me?', Harry and today should show you the answer.

Because you are the only one who can. People are alive because today because of you and your actions. The students because you taught them-us- and the villagers because of your students being able to use what you taught them to save lives. You are the only one who was capable of doing so not because of the fame of 'Boy who Lived', but because you are the 'Boy who kicks Dark Wizard Ass'. Everytime the Dark Ponce tried to kill you, you survive.

You survive not out of fame, but because you never give up and always find a way to live. People are drawn to that. They need someone in their lives who gives them home and courage to fight. To not ever cower in fear before the mask wearing gits who are themselves cowards." Luna stated, her eyes locked with Harry's and only he seeing her eyes flashing to her natural Tonks coloring.

"Luna's more right then she knows, Harry." stated Sirius, followed by a pair of cloaked figures. "All of them, the whole lot, Snake Face included became what they are because of fear. For the rich Purebloos, it's fear of change and loosing status when compared to muggleborn and halfbloods. Many of the oldest families have bred themselves into suibs because they feared the change acknowledgin new blood would bring.

Take any of them, strip their magic and place them in the muggleowrld and they would di inside of a week. They aren't mentally capable of dealing with the fact that in many ways, the muggles have surpassed us. That muggles no longer need magic because they have devices that can match or out do most spell work. We are no longer THE power in the world, only a minor curiousity at best.

We would be on par with martial artists like your sensei's." He paused a moment to bow to Akane and Ranma. "Electronics like cell phones, computers and television that are far more appealing and easier to learn then magic. What they can't do for real, they are able to fake so convincingly that it might as well be real. There's a popular saying in the muggle world, Harry. It goes: "Is it real, or is it Memorex?" "

Harry blinked. He'd heard that term before. It had come blaring out of the television while he was cleaning and Dudley watched. He had peeked out fo the corner of his eye and what he saw had seemed like magic to him. There'd been a scene on the screen frozen in place. That question had been asked. Then something would happen. Sometimesthe people would start to move, showing they were 'real'. Other times the camera would pull back, revealing that it was a picture while the background showed the scene captured in the picture. After a few times, a camera nd a roll of film would be show, and they would mention it being the best way to keep memories real.

Harry couldn't take anymore today. He started to collapse. Strong arms caught him and the last thing he saw were the male Akane's eyes before he surrender to oblivion.

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Akane caught Harry before he hit the ground, instinctively changing to male before reaching him. Though he could have carried him as easily in his birth form, he knew that it would make Harry embarrased by the close contact. Not to mention what it would do to an already angry and touchy Ranma and his potential reaction to his wife holding another man.

He looked towards his mate's form, and was both pleased and disturbed to see that Ranma was no longer in dragon form. He was please Ranma had relaxed enough to put away the dragon, but disturbed that he had shifted instead into his nekoken form. Neko Ranma was smaller then Tatsu Ranma, but was just as potentially dangerous.

The giant black cat followed behind him closely, growling at any one who neared except for Luna and their 'family' of the NWC. He even allowed the captivated concealed metamorphmagi stroke his fur. They progressed through the village, Akane carrying Harry with neko Ranma on one side and Luna on the the other. They soon became the head of a march as one by one, in order of closeness to Harry and their own selfinflicted rankins within the HHT and the general student body, they followed their leaders, leaving behind a grateful village, amazed Aurors and puzzled Professors.

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so that's the second chap this week, and I hope to have more soon.


	38. Section 38

Here's chapter 38 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

There are dark themes and language in this chapter. Be warned.

here's the next chapter of course, and I hope you all are enjoying my stories. for all concerned, yes, I will be continuing my stories even if there are delays in when they get posted. I have some of the next 'State of ours' written out, a little blurb that could become a Neko's Mate story.

9848949

Delores Umbridge was lost. She had no idea of what to do. She could no longer hide behind plausible deniability in regards to the re-emergence of the Dark Lord or of the lies of cohersion issued by the Death Eators during their previous trials. She'd been in Hogsmeade, disIllusioned, when the attack commenced. She had been mere feet from Lucius Malfoy during his speech and had only narrowly managed to avoid the spells fired by either the Death Eaters or Harry Potter.

Potter was another issue over which she could plead ignorance no more. She had been nearly 30 feet away from the boy and had been able to **feel** him summoning the power for the spells he cast. The power he cast away with a mere WInguardium Leviosa was more then she could put in her strongest spells. Casting something that powerful would have drained her for hours, yet she had been able to sense that it had little to no effect on the power he could draw to himself. It had literally had as little effect on him, as a normal Leviosa would have on any average witch/wizard.

What she witnessed the day before had driven home the fact that she could no longer pretend that Lucius Malfoy was misrepresented or that YKW had not indeed returned. Nor could she claim that Potter was a spoiled child with an over exaggerated reputation and self opinion. He was every bit of what was claimed of him and more. The boy obviously had no idea of his true power or she and the Minister would have been destroyed ages ago. She knew she had to report to Fudge, but was having difficulty creating a message that didn't sound like she was going out of her mind in terror.

She was currently locked in her quarters deep in the Staff Tower. Before her on her desk, were several empty bottles of alchohol, both muggle and wizard. It was a well hidden secret that she was herself a half-blood. Not even Fudge was aware of that fact. She had spent a great deal fo money to create a fictional background for her mother. It was the only way she'd been able to advance as fas as she had to her current position. The Ministry was full of Purebloods, who while not suppoerters of YKW's methods, did possess an anti-muggle born/halfblood position.

She filled a quill from her inkwell and began to compose a letter to the Minister. RIght next to her inkwell were the remains of a Minister sent Howler. To the left were copies of the special Sunday Edition of both the Quibbler and the Daily Prophet. The headlines were almost opposite of each other. While the Quibbler proclaimed "Lucius Malfoy lead Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade.", the Prophet lead with "Minister announces New Reforms regarding Imperious Curse Defenses. Vows to find supporters of YKW and charge known Death Eaters.".

The Quibbler was filled with articles regarding the battle, as well as interviews with the survivors and the families of the dead. Most were praising the efforst of the students, especially those within the now famous Harry's Hardluck Tutoring group. Harry himself was being universally praised as the hero of the event. And the foreign contingent was being asked to expand their training efforts to include the villagers of Hogsmeade. There was even an interview with Harry himself, the picture showing him holding the Lovegood girl tightly.

In counterpoint, the Prophet carried almost nothing regarding the attack. Instead it had been filled with the standard propaganda and articles detailing useless information about Ministry meetings, household tips, carious other everyday events. Only on the 6th page of the 8 page issue, below the fold and with no accompanied photos, was there a short article regarding a small scale attack led by unknown wizards who claimed to work for YKW. It claimed that there was no direct proof of his return, and questioned if the current leade they were calling by His name, was the real HwmnbN or a pretender? They finished by claiming that the Aurors stationed in Hogsmeade had easily beat back the attackers, though several foolish children tried to interfere, and this cost the lives of several residents and students.

She wrote out her letter, not sober enough to hide her real thoughts and fears. She explained in detail both Malfoy's statements and the battle against Potter. SHe hadn't seen much of the rest of the fight, but she added her awe at seeing the dragon destroying the Dementors. She hadn't seen where it came from or where it went, but it had seemed to follow the orders of the foreigners. She hand't bothered to learn the girl's name, but she was pretty sure the girl was the leader's wife.

She finished the letter and sent if off with ehr Great Horned Owl. She struggled out of her chair, emptied two smaller bottles of alchohol into an empty larger bottle. She took the bottle, waddled over to her Princess Four Post Bed, then collapsed on the mattress, her head and shoulders supported at an angle by dozens of pillows. She took a huge swallow of the now mixed drink, then set the bottle on the nightstand. Unable to sleep in spite of the booze and lack of sleep the previuos night, she stared into the roaring fireplace with her bulbous eyes, taking the occassional sip from the bottle. She remained there through the night and the next day, finally falling into a restless slumber around noon that Monday. With the weeks classes cancelled, few noticed her absence and those that did, rejoiced.

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Ranma still hadn't calmed down, and Akane was getting worried. He'd never been in neko form this long before. It had been a long time since Akane had gone to bed for the sole purpose of sleep, and she missed her husband's touch. She would have long since joined Ranma's state, but she did not have a neko form, having never undergone the NekoKen training. She was mildly reassured to note that while he stayed neko, if she changed from male to female, so did Ranma, always staying in the opposite gender to her own.

So instead of pacing worriedly, she lay in bed, leaning against Ranma's furry side as he purred, his head curled into her lap. She continued scratching behind his ears and stroking his head as she had been doing since first realizing he wasn't going to change back for a while. Late the previous evening, Harry and Luna had come by, Harry needing advice on how to deal with recent events and their consequences.

So she had told him about some similar events in their lives, including the first Saffron incident. Ranma had dragged Harry and Luna onto the bed and proceeded to lay across all three of their laps, much to their amusement. They spent a few hours talking and exchanging stories while Ranma lay there enjoing the feel of their six hands stroking his feline form.

The three humans had eventually lulled themselve to sleep. They had no need for blankets that night as the combination of Ranma's furry form and the fireplace made them comfortable cozy. Ranma only looked up once, when he felt a shift in the legs he covered. He lay his head back down with a feline smirk. Now he knew why the girl sometimes smelled like 2 people. She was a shape shifter or whatever wizards called them around here. A good match for Harry. He needed someone who could surprise and challenge him. His last thought before sleep claimed him was that he'd have to make sure that the red-haired girl who carried the scent of several males stayed away from the pair (or was that trio?) until they could permanently cement their relationship.

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Remus Lupin was having a rough day. All day long, all he'd heard was Molly Weasley wailing about her supposedly innocent children and how they were in danger while alternately exlaiming her pride that they had been among those praised for beating back the Death Eater attack. When she started in on Harry and how perfect he was for Ginny, even though he was with the Lovegood girl (and how she knew he was only with her because Harry must feel sorry for the poor girl, her not being mentally stable, and how he was likely just using her to help control his desire for her precious Ginny) he'd had enough and had fled the first floor to the 2nd floor library and cast silencing charms several layers deep covering all the walls as well as the ceiling and floor.

He then proceeded to take part in a new muggle treatment for stress relief called Scream Therapy. He spent several hours screaming himself hoarse, healing himself and then repeating the process until he collapsed in a chair near the fireplace. He stared into the flames, trying to relax and clear his mind, but it was in too much turmoil to stand still.

"Stupid bint." he muttered to himself, fighting the growl. His wolf was close to teh surface today. For many reasons. "Who does the bitch think she is? And what is going on with Dumbledore? Going behind Sirius' back and trying to arrange a marriage contract between Harry and Ginny 'innocent little me' Weasley? Ha. Ginny, innocent? The girl smells like she's had more boys in her then a stadium locker room after a World Cup final. I'm willing to bet that the list of boys she hasn't bedded is shorter then the list of the ones she has. Probably only Harry and her brothers on the shorter list." he was constantly amazed at how many people forgot that even in human form, he retained most of a wolf's senses and his strength.

"And how can Tonks continue like this? She's been seriously slacking off her training if I can smell her real scent under Luna's. She used to be able to change that too, so why not now? Unless she'd told Harry that Luna had a crush on him and that they were willing to share him. Who in their right minds tells an affection starved teen with no hormonal selfcontrol that there are 2 attractive, intelligent witches who both want him and are not only willing to share, but probably neither would agree to be with him if the other wasn't also involved."

His stern face turned to a ruefull smile. "And why couldn't it happen to me?"

His mind somewhat lighter, if still a bit somber after recent events, he went over to teh bookshelf and opened up the secret bar hidden behind a section devoted to History of Magic books written by Binns. He poured himself a cocktail of vodka, absynth, and gin, with a cyanide tablet for flavoring. He downed the lethal-to-human drink, and poured a second glass to sip on before returning to his chair and the accounting contracts book for the Black Family. Sirius had left them in his charge, not trusting any others with what was ocntained within.

He was still reading the documents when there was a knock on the door. He looked up in surprise, checking his charms and wrds. Every one was still intact and effective, so the knock on the door should not have sounded. His surprised grew as he heard it a second time. Warily, he stood and approached the door, drawing his wand and holding it loosely, but ready for use.

He opened the door and froze in shock for a moment before stumbling back, his wand shooting up to point shakily at the figure who followed him in, sealing the door behind them.

"YOU!" Remus creid out in a mix of anger, fear and longing.

"Now, now, Remus. Is that any way to talk to your father?" Icarus Caldwell asked cockily, grinning at the younger man. "It's been what, 20 years?"

Remus snorted, his shock and fear dispersing through his anger. "Try closer to 30, you slimy bastard."

Icarus raised his head. "Why the hostility, son?"

Remus jumped and just barely restrained himself from attacking the old man. "I am no son -no family- of yours. I think you made that clear 25 years ago, Caldwell."

Icarus sighed. He had known this would be difficult, but he could blame no one but himself. It had been his fear and his actions that had caused the boy many of his life's difficulties. Oh how he wished he'd known then what he knew now. He had tried to repair what little he could by restoring the boy into the family line and reinstating him as his heir.

"I am sorry, son." he stopped at the growl he received. "I am sorry, Remus. I was a foolish young man. Full of my own success and arrogance. I couldn't handle the pressure of handling your special needs."

Remus' eyes were now flickering between human and woolf. "Liar! You couldn' t let your public know that your own children were Turned. That you had lead the monster that attacked us to your home because you weren't paying proper attention, being too busy with your adoring fans to take the proper precautions when returning to your wife and children."

"I swear to you Randal, I did not-" he was cut off as Remus' forearm landed across his throat and his body was driven back to slam into the door.

Remus' eyes were fully wolf, and his teeth had changed as well. "Randall Caldwell is DEAD. He died the night you cast him, his sister and their mother out. I am Remus Lupin."

Icarus remained calm, in spite of the situation. "Whatever name you take, whatever you become, you ARE my son. She was my wife and she was my daughter. I sent you away for your protection, Remus. Because the Mininstry wanted you and Regina either killed or placed under government control. So yes, I publically denounced you and cast you all out. It was all I could do at the time to save your lives."

Remus' other hand lashed out, punching through the thick wooden door just inches from Caldwell's head. "It was NOT ENOUGH. Not once one of your Hunters found us. Romela did at their hands, and not quickly. They played with her first. When they were done using her, they killed her by pouring liquid silver into her bowels and womb! She was burned to death from the inside out! SHE WAS ONLY 9 YEARS OLD! And those monsters -human monsters you created and trained- raped and killed her! And they didn't stop with her. Once her death cries ended, they beat and raped our mother. YOUR WIFE! She was never the same again, right up until the time she hung herself.

Do you know what it does to a 14year old boy to walk into his home after being at school for 10 months, to find his mother hanging from the rafters in the middle of a room? To see and smell that she had to have been there since at least the middle of term? I ran from the house and couldn't return for nearly 2 weeks. I had to call my friends and swear them to secrecy on their magic to never reveal the truth. We cleaned her as best we could and laid her in her bed. I placed my most cherished possessions with her, and we light the house affire. By the time help arrived to put out the flames, they believed she died from the smoke and fire.

I used what money we had to rebuild a small hut for meself. I would have been sent to an orphanage except for my . . . condition. So I was allowed to live on my own, except for 1 week a month when a couple of Aurors, more Hunters-maybe even the same ones who'd slaughtered and raped my sister and drove my mother insane- would come and lock me in a pit dug out under the hut, with a heavy silver door covering the opening.

I would not have been able to finish school if not for James forcing me to accept the payment for the school fees and equipment and a small amount of money for the rare treat.

That is the result of your _**protection**_. Of your greed and lust for popularity. Merlin forbid that Icarus Caldwell, Auror, Unspeakable, and found of the Rogue Werewolf Hunters Association have children who were werewolves. So tell me Caldwell, why should I listen to any thing you have to say? Why shouldn't I just rip out your throat and gain my revenge?"

"Because I have information for Harry Potter. Information about Voldemort and himself that Dumbledore has hidden from him. Information that could help us all rid the world of that monster and of Dumbledore's interferance."

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I hope you're not too weirded out by the chapter. Since so little is known about Remus's life, I created a backstory were he had a twin sister who was also bitten the night he was, but that a group of werewolf hunters captured her and tortured her to death in as painful and degrading a manner as possible. This even shadows him his whole life, dictating everything that happens from then on.


	39. Section 39

Here's chapter 37 of Magic vs. MA.

See Previous chapters for disclaimer.

1st---sorry, i actually had this written down mostly as is back in july, but haven't had the heart to type it all up. Could have potentially been 3 chaps, as is in three secftions but wasn't sure if I should do that.

2nd---hope it's worht the wait and thank everyone for reading.

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The sun rose sluggishly on the Monday after what was now being called The Battle for Hogsmead. It was mostly cloudy that morning, the sky still full of the dark clouds that had drenched the castle grounds and surrounding country side. No one was even slightly chipper since Saturday, but some were far less somber then others.

Hermione was feeling as weary and somber as ever she'd felt. She didn't remember much of the battle, but she clearly remembered 2 events. The first was during a fight against one of the Amazons, dodging a blow from one attacker that stabbed another in the chest. While the first was frozen in place as she watched her companion die, Hermione had grabbed a loose mace from the dying warrior and crushed the sword wielders head. The second instance involved the Death Eater Antoine Dolohov. He'd been close to breaking through the defense of a 6th year student she didn't recognise.

Her Gryffindor bravery had kicked in and she had cast a Bone Exploder curse while moving in front of a purple flaming whip that sliced into her chest. Before she passed out from the pain, she had watched in horror as her curse struck the Death Eater's jaw, destroying everything below his right eye and driving bone spurs ripping out his other cheek. The man stood for a few seconds before collapsing to his knees and then to fall on his back where he would eventually choke to death on his own blood. Gratefully she had been unconcious by then.

She glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby before slowly opening the top of her robe. Tears filled her eyes as she studied the massive inflammed scarring from the curse. Madam Pomphey had already told her the bad news. The scar was permanent, could not be healed by magic except for salves and ointments that had to be rubbed on everyday and that was only the start of the news.

Worse then the scarring, worse then the pain she might endure at being touched in the are of the wound, was that her breast would never be able to perform their prime function. She would never be able to feed any children she might one day have. The internal tissues that allow the mamory gland to produce milk had been destroyed and tehre was no way to rebuild them. Some of the nerve endings had also been destroyed and they would never be as sensative as before. To avoid infection a lot of the now dead tissue had been removed. This decreased her bust size by almost a full cup.

Even through her pain, anger and fear, she still had the ability to wonder if what she was feeling was anything like what a muggle felt when they were forced to suffer from breast cancer. If so, she promissed to herself that first chance she got, she would begin donations to charities battling the dreaded disease.

Oddly, the most worrisome thought running through her head was how Ron would react. She would never be a real woman now. She refused to admit to herself why his opinion of her was so important. But for some reason, Ron's opinion about her attractiveness or the nature of her feminivity in this was very important to her, far more important then anyone else. The loss of athe ability of performing such a basic aspect of child rearing as breast-feeding a child would haunt her for a long time. NOt that it would matter since the wond had left a posion in her system that had attacked several of her organs, forced them to be removed. She would never bear children as her ovaries and her womb itself, along with her appendix and one of her kdineys, were removed.

As much as it embarassed her to ever admit it, Hermione had frequent thoughts of an intimate nature regarding both of her best friends. FAr more often about Ron, but there were occassional fantasies starring Harry as well. And she had on occassion (even more frequently since a recent encounter in the Grffindor Quidditch shower room) pleasured herself while imagining it was either and sometime both of her friends enducing the sensations of orgasm in her. The dreams had started in 1st year after they'd saved her from teh troll. They'd been tame compared to those more recent dreams. Mostly a lot of kissing and gentle groping.

During 2nd year, Lockhart and surprisingly Dracon Malfoy had joined her friends in her dreams. Slightly more advanced dreams also started flowing. From gentle, chaste kisses and hugs to mroe passionate open mouthed kisses and groping/fondling. They'd continued to evolve, getting racier as tiem went on. Fueld mostly by the gossip and tales of more experienced girls as well as the research into human sexuality and develpment she'd done during vacations.

She'd grown curious as the more she read, the more diverse and widespread she discovered sexual practices existed. Some had intrigued her and some had disgusted her. Like in many of her interests, she'd made lists. One for the things she wanted, one for the things she might be willing to try, one for those things she'd only try if completely drunk, and one that she would never willingly attempt.

She closed her robe and looked away, shame and fear filling the empty void in her emotions. Her curiosity about sexuality meant nothing now. No one would look twice at her, thanks to the scar. Her short, experimental relationship with Victor Krum (and a few late night curiosity driven snogs with Ginny at the Burrow) would have to be enough to last her a lifetime. Maybe she would been willing ot complete the act instead of stopping at a few mutual masterbation sessions and the one performance of oral sex during their last evening together in Bulgaria. Maybe she would have allow Ginny to do more then grope her though her night gown.

At the time she had felt that she wasn't ready for that next step with either Victor or Ginny, but looking back, she realised that she have been soving that level of intamcy for one of only two people: Ronald Weasley or Harry Potter. Mostly for Ron. Something about him made her burn inside and the nature of the burn was what drove their arguments. It was their form of flirting and foreplay as neither of them had ever been overly gifted in the area of positive peer level interaction.

Her most gratifying experiments in self pleasure were direct results of discussions that they turned into arguments. There was a fire-an intensity she rarely saw in his eyes when they argued that drove her wild. Harry had a greater intesity, but it was much rarer and provoked mainly by the worst events he experienced. His was a cold burning anger driven intensity that frightened her more then it aroused her where Ron's was driven by his passion and desire to be known as something other then th 6th son.

Not that any of that mattered now. She would have to contend herself with a few memories and many fantasies to try and resolve her frustrations. She would have to learn to accept and appreciate the pleasure of her own touch and the cool, unliving feel of the various toys her mother had purchased for her when the elder woman had discovered her daughter's growing interest in her new found sexuality.

With the same determination that had allowed Janet Smythe to finish in the top 3percent of her class each school year, she had decided that if her daughter was going to be intereseted in sex, then she would be fully prepared for any and all parts of the activity that might draw her attention. She would ensure that Hermione was well informed as best as possible regardign all matters of a sexual nature. She proceeded to thoroughly embarass the 12year old girl by detailing the practices that she and her husban most enjoyed together. She also went into detail regarding those that each had previously enjoyed with other partners but had not been intereseted in trying with each other. She had then presented Hermione with a wrapped ackage. Curious despite her embarassment given the discussion, the young girl turning into a young woman had torn into the wrappin to find a plain box. She opened the box and dropped it in shock, spilling the variously colored and shaped objects onto the floor.

Deciding she'd thought enough of the matter, she tried shifting on the hospital bed. She finally foudn a position that brought her the least amount of pain. Her eyes growing heavy, she smiled toredly as the Sleeping Drought started to work. She fell into a light slumber where dreamso fRon filled her heart with joy and thoguhts of her bleak, lonely future were easily disrupted.

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Ron was insanely grateful to Harry for letting him borrow the invisibility cloak. It had allowed him to remain close to Hermione as the medi-witches and wizards worked to save her life. He had stood silently and watched and listend as they fought desperately against the poison that was a side effec of the crse used on her. His anger towards Dolohov grew as they discussd the damage done to the girl he could only now admit to loving.

He had watched in awe and horror as they used wizard and muggle methods. Magic wasn't sealing the wound so they had to resort to stitching it closed the Muggle way.The attack had nearly removed large part of Hermione's breast running a slight angle fom her rigt houlder to lower left ribs. It was almost horizontal and about 2 inches wide. The edge had caught a part of her breasts areola. The upper part of it above her right nipple and the lower half below her left nipple. If it had been slightly more horizontal, she would have lost bost nipples and her breast would have been cut in half.

As it was, they would no longer be functional. The damage done was too severe and they had to remove too much tissue. They would never be able to produce milk and would be painful to her when touched. The purple of the would would never vanish or fade, and there was no way to be covered by wizards or muggle means.

As horrible as all this was, what they found next was infinitely more devastating. The poison had been in her system long enough to affect some of her internal organs. Her kidneys and bladder were infected (one kidney had been removed) and would never be fully healthy. Her liver was greatly weakened and a transplant would more then likely be needed within 10 years. She would now be among those with diabetes. But the worst damage was to her reproductive organs. Her ovaries were dead, fallopean tubes had shrivled and her womb would never be able to form the protective system needed to carry a child. To help stop furhter spreading the ovaries and womb were also removed. She would neber bear a child and if the infefction was not cleared soon, they might still loose her.

Ron had felt it like a kick to the bollocks. Any one looking at hsi family would say that the males outnumbered the females, but anyone with experience with the family knew that it took the 6 males to balance the scales against teh 2 Weasley females. He had overheard Molly's discussion with Ginny about the difficult balancing of health which which women had to struggle. He'd also learned that no matter what they said, women in general measure themselves against each other based on 2 main categories: Breast size/shape and Motherhood.

Hermion had been robbed of both. Her breast size had been greatly reduced, and were unevenas she lost the top part of her right breast and the lower part of her left. Not even a girl as level headed as Hermione was immune, and learning that she would never carry a chiled had nearly broken her. It still could break her. Even if she had never considered having children before, the knowledge that she no longer had the choice -the option- could destroy her. No one -man or woman- wanted something like that taken from them.

Ron had remained even as everyone else left. He sat in a chair at her bedside watchign Hermione toss about on the Bed. He was alone in his vigil, but knew that Harry and the others would ensure their protection. After watching her wake up and go through a short self examination (during which he couldnt' help but physically react to her nudity). As she downed the potion and found some type of pose to ease the tensio nin her body, he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

He lowered his lips to her ears, "I love you Hermione and I will be here for you, no matter what. We will work through this together if you will let me." He kissed her again, this time giving into his instincts and desires and pressing his lips firmly against hers. "I will prove to you Hermione and together we will make them pay for this."

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The forest was quiet as the two wanderers fought off thesilent attackers. Hidden drums and wind instruments slowly began to sound over the clearing, adding to the sounds of violence. The pair of weary traelers stood back to back, facing a ring of attackers circling them in a dazzling display of aerial and ground based acrobatics. Each had pulled a part of their weaponry, one wielding a short swword while the other sported a pair of unusually shaped bladed weapons.

"So what do you thinkg, Na-chan?" asked the taller, more masculine of the pair.

The short, more feminine figure studied the attackers, marking out htose that seemed to be most dangerous. The group they faced was obviously among the elite of their tribe, chosen to face the challenge of the foreign invaders. Quite easily he spotted the 3 or 4 that were at the top of the ranks for the natives. Not surprisingly, they were placed amongst teh others in such a way that each stood straight accross from one another.

"They are well trained and used to battle, Ukyo sama. If we wished, we could likely defeat them, but not without injury. It is good we dod not wish to fight. I suggest lowering our weapons to the ground and slowly backing out of their reach. We might be able to communicate with them and make them aware of our intentions."

The circling stopped and one of teh tribe elders approached. The next hour or so saw them trying to communicate with little luck. The elder eventually calledi none of the warriors, one who looked more civilized then the others. Just enough to show that there was more to him then a common viliager. They would learn that he had been found by a member of the tribe and adopted into the tribe while he was a teen. He had returned to civilizatio nto attend sdchoool and then come back to the tribe to help them slowly absorb some of the new knowledge and gifts of the modern world. They finally found a common language in portuguese and this allowed Ukyo and Konatsu to explain why they were travelling in the Sacred Lands of the Yamaja Tribe.

'So you see, Seanj san, we are passing through your lands searching for some relices belonging to our once scattered people. If they are in your possession or you do not wish to part with them, we will in no way attempt ot force or coherce you to return them to us. Oour Lord would be perfectly content to allow you to retain them as long as you allow him and a few others a chance to ensure that they would not be a danger to your people or anyone else."

"So these items you seek, are large pearls that seem to glow and that allow a person who touches them to gain knowledge of an unknown nature? And that should someone unprepared or of the wrong nature attempt to force the Stones to part with their knowledge that they have the means to protect themselves?" Seanj translated teh questions of the elder, doing his best t o come up with terms in their language to let them understand the scope of the situation.

He waited for the elders to confer before translating their decision to the foreigners. "The elders have confirmed that they are aware of the items you seek. In fact they are known among our people as the 'Stones of Destiny' and were left to be guarded by our tribe by the First Ancestors who created the tribes of the River and set each to guard a relic of their power. We guard the Stones, the Shawana possess and guard the Weaponry of the Ancients, and the Kanale protect the holiest of all: The remains of the ships that were left behind by the Ancestors when they resumed their journey. More then half their members remained amongst the land. The elders are willing to allow your leader to have access to the Stones, but you must soeak to the Shawana and Kanale regarding the other Relics."

Konatsu and Ukyo exchanged excited glances. They had not expected anything like this when Ranma had instructed them to journey to the Amazon Basin and seek out the hidden artifacts left behind by the Lost Tribe. The three tribes must be the decendants of the lost tribe who had been separated to protect the three important pieces of cargo from any potential harm or enemies.

"You do know that this likely means that your Ancestors are the members of teh Lost Tribe of our people? And that it means that we are both decended from teh same source? We are one tribe in many." Ukyo asked.

The elders cackled at the implications. Seanj translated their next little speech with a grin on his face. "We eagerly look forward to meeting this Lord of yours. We will be glad to meet our cousins from beyond the endless waters. "

"And I am sure our Elders and scholars would be more then happy to learn of their refound kin and their history. We have much we could share between our Tribes and look forward to the days when we are all One again." Ukyo stated, then blinked as she spotted something odd behind the eders. "Uh, don't take this wrong, Seanj and I mean no offense, but was that a blonde haired, white skinned girl I just saw?"

Seanj turnedh is head and once again the figure slipped into view. "Ah, yes. That is a new friend to the Tribe. She was found at teh base of a offhsoot ot he River. She had nearly drowned and if it wasn't for our helaers and their medicines, she owuld have perished within hours. It was a great luck for hte hunting party to find her. She had no memory of her people or past, but feels a strong connecftion to the moon so we have named her Denaar. In our language it means 'moon gift'. She is an odd one. She has visions of things she does not remember seeing. and uses a magic that is unknown to our people. It's not very powerful but we think that's because her people must use some type of focussing their power. It seems an awfully artificial way to get things done, but the world i s large and there are many peoples living on it each with their own traditions and beliefes and we wish merely to learn of others without doing harm."

While Seanj and Ukyo and the elders held a three way conversation, Konatsu watched the blond girl as she made the rounds of the warriors, handed each a selection of fruits and dried meats. There was something about her that seemed familiar to him, anot on a personal level, but soemthing fo the way she moved reminded him of something. The way she moved and walked, slightly different then the other teenagers around her. Almost like he was seeing something out of a period piece even thought she was as acantily clad in breechcloth and some type of leather halter top. He decided to approach her, and knowing she wans't a member of the tribe for long, decided to try to greet her in what he hoped was a language she understood.

"Hello, I am Konatsu Kenzan. It is a pleasure to meet you today, Denaar." he said in English, allowing his natural voice to sound out, instead of the slightly more feminine voice he'd crafted over the years to perfect his disguies. He saw her eyes widen as the disparity of his very feminine figure and his very masculine voice.

"You are a man. Yet you prefer to appear as a woman. Your companion is a woman who is more comfortable appearing as a man." Her head tilted to the side and a frown appeared on her face. "There is someone she loves or loved who doesn't feel the same way. You have loved her for a long time and harbored feelings for this other man as well, though it always confused you. Though you love each other is strong and pure, there is always a tiny bit that wonders 'what if' things had worked differently. Would this other person had ever been able to care for you the same way you care for him. He is ... he is..." A look of pain flashed on her face adn she started to shake slightly. a moan of pain escaped her and she fell to her knees. She dropepd the tray and her hands went ot her head as a series of screams erupted from her throat. By know others had gathered around them, including the Elders, Seanj and Ukyo.

She eventually collapsed into Konatsu's arms. It was only then the her face registered in his mind. She then brought her face around so their eyes met, and she let out a feint grin. "Hello Kenzan san, my name is Luna Lovegood. It really is a pleasure to meet you." Then she passed out as the pain of having all her memories jarred hit.

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Nymphodora Topnks shot up from her position leaning against her lover as a burst of magic slamemd into her. She gasped as she realised what the burst was. She could once again feel the connection flowing between her and her other lover. The bond they had formed over years of friendship that had lead to a mutual love of each other and the boy - no the man she was current snuggled up to on a love seat in front of a roaring fire. The loss of the bond had been somewhat painful to her but luckily, the relationship with Harry had helped to stabilize her. The connection she shared with the green eyed youth wasn't as strong yet as the one she had shared with ehr silver haired moonchild, but it woudl grow as their relationship grew.

An immense smile on her faee, she shook Harry awake, waiting pationetly for him to gather himself. "She's alive." she stated when he asked her what was happening.

"Who's alive?" he asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.

"Luna. She's alive, I felt her. The bond is active again. Though I think she passed out right after the bond reopened. She felt like she was in pain." Tonks stated throwing her arms around Harry in a massive hug. "Oooh, I can't wait until you meet her. I know we already talked about it, but she really is like I was tryign to pretend to be, only not quite as hyper. And obviously, you will find her attractive judging from how eager Harry jr. gets when I am in her form. Of course he's that eager when I'm in my normal form as well as any other form, so that might not be a good judge. Of course ..." whatever she was going ot say next was cut off by a pair of lips devouring her own.

"I'm looking forward to meeting Luna again. If she's half of what you've shown her to be I have no doubt that I'll love her as much as I love you." Harry stated with a grin. "Now it's just a matter of finding her and getting her back here. Does this bond with her allow the two of you to talk to each other?"

"Not really, but we can share our feelings at a low level. It's not like muggle telepathy or the mind arts like Legimency or Occlumency. But we do have a sort of . . . magnetic connection. It lets us know in which direction and how closs to each other we are. SO right now I know that she's really far away to the south and east. I'd have to gues sthat she was someone in South America. Other then that, finding her could be the hard part, considering how rough the continent is even now and how long it might take to track her down. The South American wizards and the Ministry don't really get along. If they found out that a British witch was lost anywhere within their sphere of influence, they would assume she was sent there to spy on them and sent out their Death Squads to track her down and kill her. We would need to find a way to look for her that wouldn't involve anyone with any direct or indirect ties to the Miniistry or the Unite d Kindoms of Magical europe."

A second smil replaced Harry's frown as a thought occured to him. Over the last few days they ahd spent a lot of time with Akane and Ranma and thought Ranma hadn't been much of a conversationalist being in a feline form, Akane had mentioned that their Council had sent some of their friends to look for Ancient treasures of their people all around the globe. She had also mentioned that some close friends of theirs were among those searchers. "Tonks, remember when we asked Akane yest about Angwyn and more specifically about what their friends and families were doing while they were here? She mentioned that some of their friends had joined the search to recover lost artifacts of their ancestors."

Tonks nodded. "Yes, it was when we started talking about how she and Ranma met and the others that were chasing the both of them."

Harry leaned back with a smug look on his face. "Guess where two of those friends are right now?"

Tonks blinked. Her face took on an odd expression as she considered what Harry was teasing her with, then her jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she caught on. "They went to the Amazon! Not very far from where Luna disappeared in the first place. We can get in touch with them and have them search the area for Luna."

Harry was about to reply, but Tonks' mouth fused to his and all thoughts of anything other then the feel of her body against his were banished. He had one last coherent thought before the sensations Tonks was burning into his body overtook his concious mind: "I wonder what's going to go wrong next? I've never had good news that wasn't followed with bad."

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	40. Section 40

Ch 40 hp Ranma

heres the next chapter in my ongoing attempt to merge two worlds that differ in many ways but seemed to call out to be combined into one universe.

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Ukyo frowned as she shook the annoying device she'd been told would work anywhere in the world. Apparently, the Amazon rain forest wasn't part of the world. Or maybe it was not as waterproof as the company claimed and that little dip in the river had shorted out the device. Now they had to wait until they reached a larger more modern village.

She looked around the village and spotted Konatsu talking to some of the village defenders in Portuguese She was glad that they'd found a common language in time to defuse any brewing conflict from their visit to the Incalaxan territories. She had been worried that they might not survive the fight. The incalaxan's had numbers and experience on their side, though she felt confident that in a one on one conflict she or Konatsu could defeat any individual warrior.

She looked over and watched as the pale blond haired English girl played with some of the villages children. The girl was one of the oddest people she'd ever met and consider the people Ukyo normally dealt with that was quite impressive. The girl claimed to be a witch, but could not prove it as she had lost her wand and she had not yet learned to cast wandless magic. She was willing to attempt to brew a potion, but she didn't know if she could get the ingredients for the ones she knew.

The girl, who after a bit of an episode had given her name as Luna, had explained that she and her father had been traveling in search of mythical creatures. Her father, being a typical British PureBlood, knew little of the larger muggle world and in his hasty planning had mistaken Victoria Falls in South America with his intended destination of Niagara Falls in Canada. He was only slightly dismayed at being some few thousand kilometers from their destination. So instead of looking for Big Foot, he decided to search for the Chupacabra, the goat eating vampire of Central and South America. After several weeks of searching, they'd return to their arrival point. While her father settled payment with their guide she had taken a day trip to view the falls from a gondola However her gondola had drifted too close to the spray of the waterfall and she had been swept out of the seat and plunged into the wash of the fall.

Luckily she'd only been about 50 feet up from the pool at the base, and she had missed any rocks. Unluckily, she hit her head while resurfacing and dazed, had drifter down the river until being fished out by the Incalaxans. She had no idea how she had survived the trip down river and unconscious, though she suspected a subconscious use of magic. Perhaps some type of charm to allow her to breath water as easily as air as opposed to the Bubble Head charm or a form of self transfiguration.

She had become popular and well liked figure among the Incalaxans. Ukyo could see that there was a hint of sadness in the villagers now that Luna had regained her memories. They all obviously cared for her, and wanted her to remain, but knew that her memory had returned, she would be returning to her people. She had been some thing of a good luck charm for the village. Since she had arrived, several people with deadly illness had been cured, their crops had been larger and healthier than any they could recall, and the hunting parties had suffered few injuries while having an unprecedented level of successful hunts. They had more game then they'd had in the last 3 years. They didn't want to loose her but knew that they had to leave.

Speaking of leaving, Ukyo thought to herself, she couldn't wait to get the permission from the other tribes to get the Pearls of wisdom and the Weapons being cared for by the Shawana. The plan had originally been to go to the tribes themselves but Seanj had decided that instead of risking the journey as a group and leaving the village during a crucial hunting period, they could send a runner to the other tribes with his token. This would save them all a trip and might avoid any potential conflict as the Kanale were more vicious towards foreigners and only barely tolerated the other tribes.

Ukyo sighed again and looked down in disgust at the satellite phone. Nabiki had given her the device to keep in contact when she and Konatsu left on their trip. She hoped that if she let it dry it would work. She needed to let Nabiki know about this trio of tribes who also looked to have been descended from their common ancestors. And she vaguely recalled a conversation where she heard of a girl being lost who attended the same school that Ranma had been sent to visit. She had a strong suspicion this was the girl who had been lost. How many pal skinned, blond haired magic wielding lost English girls could there be?

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Shan Pu frowned as she watched the phoenix god punish his followers for their failure. She herself was still shaking slightly from the pain caused by the curse cast by the Dark Lord. Never had she felt such pain. Not even at her Ascension ceremony while under the Full Body Cat's Tongue and the ritual genital piercing and breaking of her hymen had she felt such pain. She wished she could do as then, and curl into a ball on her bed crying for a week until the pain faded, but she could not afford to show such weakness to those foolish gaijin.

For the 1st time she wondered if her quest for vengeance had been the right path. But thoughts of her home and the loss and disposal of her people's traditions came storming to mind. 3000 years they had stood and fought off weak minded male oppressors. 3000 years they had studied and learned and improved the arts created by those of lesser will. 3000 years had they been the strongest warriors in the world. Only the Musk and Phoenix were close to their powers but they were ruled by men. Men who were ruled by their testes.

'No', she thought to herself as she watched Saffron burn a Musk soldier to ash. 'My people have become as weak as men. They grew soft and complacent. Allowing themselves to be lead like cattle at the whims of the PLC. Not to mention the betrayal of traditions and the eagerness they displayed in their almost worship of that bastard, Ranma.' her rage grew as she recalled the way she had been forced to chase after him and grovel for his attention. And all just to keep her great grandmother from suspecting her true motives. She had wanted to break him. To Humiliate him as he had humiliated her. Lock him in his female form and whore him out to his enemies. Sell him to the deepest and most vile circle of black market perverts out of Thailand.

Her eyes glowed with a power that sent those nearest to her scrambling in fear, she swore in her native tongue to avenge her people against the evil male influences that had taken control of their destiny.

Starting with Ranma.

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Khu Lon was tired. This was not a new condition for her. She was quite elderly after all, having been witness to just shy of 300 seasonal cycles. And now she was once again in a land half a world away from that of her birth and immersed in a culture that made her own seem modern by comparison. While her people had remained rustic compared to modern cities like Tokyo, Nerima or London, they had adapted and accepted the new technologies that the wizarding population shunned.

She couldn't believe they still hadn't accepted electricity. Sure the magical wall torches and candelabras provided a nice enhancement to the atmosphere and being magical in nature, didn't have the drawbacks of mundane models. No smoke polluting the sky or ash residue cal over the place. They had a nice atmosphere but electrical lighting and heating were far superior in quality and safety. She'd heard that the reason they hadn't converted was that electrical devices didn't work around magic, but that had caused her to break out laughing.

She had mentioned that this was ridiculous. If such foolishness was true then no magical devices would work around muggle born witches or wizards. The lame argument of children not having the magical pull to cause the disruption was easily countered by the fact that with the bigotry in the magical world, many muggle born adults often went back to the muggle world to find work and still continued to use magic, and they didn't disrupt electrical devices. She countered that with the argument that magic was the successful use of magic was strongly dependent on believe that it would work. That the words and gestures used when casting a spell were a means to focus the will of the caster on the effects of the spell he wanted to cast. This belief and desire to have something happen were more important then the actual words and use of a wand.

So if it was taught and believed by the wizarding world that muggle devices didn't work around magic then that seed of doubt would cause a wizards magic to subconsciously disable any electrical devices. So in effect, it was a cause of the belief in the effect being the root of the cause of magic not working. The ministry and those in power in the magical world didn't' want to loose their control over those under their power. So they forced the belief that magic and electricity interfered with each other, and because it was thus 'known' to occur, it then did occur. Belief in the disturbance actually caused the disturbance to take place.

Snorting in disgust at their fear, she looked up from the work book on her desk to study the students in her class. Using a combination of ki technics and magic, she studied the magical cores and ki auras of the gathered teens. While few showed much promise in terms of ki abilities, even the weaker students had magical cores that surpassed all but the strongest in the village. In fact, most surpassed even those of the other tribes of Angwyn. Only a handful of the strongest of the Tribes could equal even the average 5th year student.

'The isolation of our people has weakened us more then I ever realized.' she thought while casually bouncing an eraser off the head of the pale blond who for some reason was considered the leader among the students of her House. The boy was too weak and impulsive to be the rule power in Slytherin, and had no understanding of subtle. He was a perfect example of just how badly the bigotry and hypocrisy had affected the world. Her house had fallen greatly. When she'd been a student here, the rivalries among the houses had existed but it had not been filled with such hatred and anger as it was now.

During her 1st visit to Hogwarts, the most intense rivalry had been between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Slytherin and Hufflepuff had for all practical purposes been one house. The Hufflepuff loyalty had tempered and soothed the Slytherin ambition and cunning. And in turn Slytherin cunning had helped improve working conditions for the hard working Hufflepuffs who were used as a labor force bye those less motivated wizards and witches. Today's Hufflepuffs were a pale shadow compared to those she'd schooled with. The Ravenclaws were almost unchanged, perhaps only a little more isolated and pompous then before. And Gryffindors seemed to be more concerned with appearing brave by performing silly grand gestures that were driven more by stupidity and fear of looking weak then real bravery.

Shaking her head once again to clear her thoughts regarding the changes made over the last century. She gathered a small bit of ki and set a sphere into the air above the students, where it exploded in a harmless burst of colored light.

"Time is up for today. At this point your potion should be a pale blue with streaks of green and yellow. I want you to bottle 5 tubes of potions. In 1 tube, add a cube of sugar. In the 2nd add a strand of hair, in the 3rd, some spit. Add 3 drops of pigs blood to the 4th tube, and add nothing to the 5th. Once this is done and each is properly labeled, you may clean your work area and equipment. Drain your cauldron into the vat by the door. Next class, we will see the results."

She watched the current group perform the tasks as she turned her mind to contemplate the growing distance of her grand daughter. The girl was hiding something. And it damn sure wasn't that she'd become the Slytherin bicycle. She didn't really care if her grand daughter wanted to scratch her itch, but she should show some measure of taste. How she could stand bedding the pathetic specimens she'd almost flaunted as conquests.

'Disgusting.' the elder thought. 'Allowing that pathetic Malfoy and his goons to use her. She must have some reason to do so, and I can not believe that it is an attempt to invoke Ranma's jealousy. She has avoided being in the same room with him as much as possible given the classes the Houses share and the levels they have each reached. And Ranma would have nothing but pity for her to learn that she'd lowered herself to allow such useless males to bed her. Even Kuno or that idiot cross dresser who always chased the chef are better examples of males then the things she's allowed to use her body.'

Some thing was definitely rotten in the House of Slytherin. And her great granddaughter was firmly stirring the pot.

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NOTES

Another day another chapter.. hope you are enjoying.

Oh, and in case you're like me and hate note knowing something and I'm not able to fit it in elsewhere, heres the potion they made and what the additives do.

Tube 5(control potion with no additive) A potion to increase the sexual stamina that works on males and females of all species, also increase the production of bodily fluids for both male and females, for an 8hour period of arousal and performance enhancements

Tube 4 (pigs blood) turns it into a blood replenishing potion.

Tube 3 (spit/saliva) a poison that is especially lethal to magical people but nearly harmless to muggles.

Tube 2 (hair) a potion similar to polyjuice, but with a longer lasting effect, shorter brew time. Downfall is it isn't a complete transformation. Works like a hologram, or a mask over your entire body. Polyjuice actually changes you, this just puts the other person image over your own body but if someone touches you, they can tell that it's only an image and not the real person.

Tube 1(sugar) a form of Pepper Up potion, like downing 2 liters of 5hour energy drink the size of and chasing it with a six pack of Red Bull. It retains the effects of the non additive potion, but then causes a period of impotence equal to the activity used while under it's influence


	41. Section 41

HP chap next

heres the next chapter for my HP fic. I know the updates aren't as fast as I promised, but Real Life sometimes has to come first. Lot of changes at work, it's almost like a whole new company. It's really a bit of a pain in the ascot. Any way, no need to read me souring about my job. Enjoy.

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Tsutoma Hata stared in awe as the indicators rose, displaying the evidence that the newly started hydro electric offshore plant was now generating power. On a high tech vid screen, 4 faces stared at him. He was mildly nervous about 1 the faces, indifferent to one, anxious about the 3rd and deeply affected by the 4th. At the moment, he was concentrating on the 3rd face, and the scene beyond the person on the screen.

"Boss, all systems are a go. Green across the board and we show active flow. How are things at the LandSite?"

Hata turned away to check his readouts. "Ochiai-san, it seems that we are receiving the power flow and the grid is active. Open the grid for Site 1 . . . done. Site 2 is coming online . . . now. Waiting for Site 3 . . . and we have 3 live sites. Transferring power from base sites to the city grid . . . Grid is up. Alerting population to power down generators systems . . . And generators are down. Switchover is now complete and reports should be coming in. Angwan Power is now fully operational and the City is Live. Confirm. City is live." Hata let out a sigh as the tension he'd felt for the last few weeks was let out. His crew had done a great job getting the system up and running in far less time then most would have considered possible.

He turned away from Ochiai who was passing along the news to his crew at the platform. He refocused on the other faces on the screen. "Queen Nabiki, Minister San, Empress. I humbly announce that the island of Angwan is now fully self powered by the 1st of the new design floating Hydro Electric Plants. We are currently running all 3 primary turbines and will begin testing the final phase of the 3 secondary turbines by the end of the week."

"An excellent job wonderfully down by yourself and your crew, Tsutoma-sensei." A very slight nod of the head accompanied the Empress's statement. It was a singular honor to be addressed by the Empress and it was double so for the respect she showed in bowing to one of the lesser status.

"It is an honor to serve, my Empress. My crew and I have enjoyed the opportunity to so challenge our skills. When first approached by Queen Nabiki's representative, we were unsure our task could be completed at all. Yet the kami have blessed us and we overcame all the tests and finished our sworn duty in the time requested."

The second woman of the trio facing him through the screen, a woman who looked barely old enough to have begun University spoke next. "Tsutoma-san, the people of Angwan are most grateful of your assistance. We would offer you all open positions within the Angwan nation. We offer you the permanent post of Head of Angwan power and offer the positions for all members of your staff who would be willing to relocate and make themselves members of the community and people of Angwan." She paused for a moment to let the offer settle into his mind and to catch his breath. "Of course, for the inconvenience of relocating families, we are willing to double all of your salaries."

Hata gasped. "Double?" he managed to get out in his shock.

Nabiki sighed, though inwardly she was grinning. "Fine. You drive a hard bargain for your crew, Hata-san. I'll triple the pay of anyone who stays and moves to Angwan. Double for any who wish to work for Angwan Power, but remain based out of Japan. Of course, travel expenses will be paid for those who chose to remain out of their current homes. But that is my final offer." she stated firmly, her mask as the Ice Queen firmly in place.

Hata was shaking and if it wasn't for the watching Empress, he likely would have thrown out his dignity and fainted dead away. The original offer of double was extraordinarily generous. Triple wages was astronomical. It had taken him twenty years at Chubu Falls and his other assignments before his original salary had doubled from it's original amount.

"I will need to discuss this with my crew, Tendo-domo. But I believe that with such generous offers, as well as the chance to continue to work on this project, most everyone will wish to remain. My only concern is how this will be seen by the people of Nihon. We are loyal to our people, our nation, and our Emperor"

The empress smiled. "Tsutoma-sensei, your concerns are noted and show great wisdom. Japan has accepted the land and people of Angwan as a sister nation founded by the best of our people in their chosen fields. There will be no ill will towards any who choose to join our new sister, and great honor is to be bestowed on the spirit shown by such immigrants. Tsutoma-sensei, Hatasan if I may, all who choose to stay or return will always be a part of Nihon. Regardless of the land they call home. If the Lord of the Isles, Saotome Ranma and his clan still consider themselves as Japanese, then there is nothing to prevent others of our nation to continue to be such themselves."

Hata was deeply touched by the honor being granted to him and his fellow workers. He bowed as low as he could and still remain visible on the screens. "You honor us beyond our measure, my Empress. We will attempt to live up to your faith in us, even should it kill us, Tendo-dono."

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"So Ron, your brother Charlie works with dragons? I wonder what he'd think of femboy here." Taro stated from his seat.

The HarHarTu's were meeting in an abandoned room on the third floor, not from from what was still referred to as Fluff's room. Although the Cerberus had long since been returned to his homeland in Greece. Ranma and the NWC had long since taken to joining them, though the Ono's were in their quarters having a relaxing evening to themselves, and the China crew were nowhere to be found.

Ranma was the furthest behind, having trouble keeping up with even the 1st and 2nd year students, though in terms of power, his very nature allowed him to draw a much higher level of energy then all but a handful of the school's inhabitants. This included most of the staff and even the magical creatures such as the house elves. His problem was he couldn't use it for anything except changing forms or when in his dragon state.

"Laugh it up while you can Beefbutt. I'm gonna get the hang of this and then I'm gonna fry your ass. Who's in for BBQ, Saotome style?" Ranma stated from her position in Akane's arms. They had managed to grab the only plush chair, and had settled in back to front with Akane leaning into the cushions and Ranma seated between her legs and using Akane's chest as a head rest. It was an endearing picture to the other couples in the room, but caused blood flow problems and drooling in the unattached population of the session, both male and female. There was no doubt that Ranma was well aware of the reaction their position was causing and was actively encouraging it by occasional rubbing her cheeks against the sides of Akane's breasts and running her hands over Akane's thighs. Both were wearing tight fitting outfits that while providing almost full coverage of skin, revealed more then it hid. Ranma's was in her common red top and black pants, while Akane was wearing a blue top with yellow trim and the same black spandex pants.

Hermione shook her head in exasperation. Ranma was a decent guy, but put him in a room full of other strong guys, and he could be a real pillock. Today was her 1st day out of the hospital wing and while she hadn't done any training she had been giving the currently red-haired youth a break down of theory and wand movements as well as attempting to help her awful pronunciation. She had been given the task by Harry as the others were busy with the more active work of demonstrating full spells and then assisting the others in learning how to perform the complete steps properly.

"Let's not get sidetracked again. I am too tired to deal with your bickering and sniping at each other. This is supposed to be a study group, not a daycare center." The bushy haired witch stated in a huff of indignation that twisted into a small gasp of pain.

Within seconds Ron was by her side, a concerned look on his face that caused her to blush. "Are you ok, 'Mione?" he asked in a gentle tone that eased some of the pain.

She shyly looked up into the face of the boy that she'd long been enamored with, though far too shy to ever consider opening up and allowing herself to take the risk of rejection if she had acted on those feelings. It might be a bit morbid to consider, but there was some good to come out of her injury. She now knew exactly where she stood in Ron's heart and nothing had ever made her happier. She reached up a hand and stroke the side of his face, enjoying the feel of the scattered stubble on his cheek. "I'm fine, Ron. Just tired and Madame Pompey did say I would get twinges of pain every now and then. I think I should head back to the dorm and take those potions she gave me. Would you walk me back, Ron? I don't trust how quiet Malfoy and his gang have been lately."

Ron blinked and blushed as he caught the tone of her voice. Her words might be innocent enough, but there was something in her voice that spoke of more then a desire for a companion on the walk back. If all she wanted was someone to walk with her she could have asked Lavender or Parvati, though Parvati and Padma looked to be busy getting help from Neville on some of the spells they'd learned today. That was odd though since both were far ahead of Neville in terms of ability if not power then Neville. And they were standing very close to the nervous youth. Almost as close as Luna was sitting to Harry in fact.

"Uh sure, I'll be glad to get out of here. It's a bit crowded anyway and I wouldn't mind a chance for a break." He held out his hand and helped her to her feet, knowing from her wince that the move had pulled on the wound. Hatred flared in him and he swore that whatever else happened in the the coming battles, he would have Dolohov's head on a pike in the Weasley yard for what he'd done to his Hermione.

The two left, and that signaled a general departure, including a literally glowing Neville being dragged by a matching set of Indian goddesses. One look at the pair let anyone seeing them know that it was unlikely that Neville would be making it to his bed before they took advantage of him. Though he or anyone else who might have been dragged off by the pair would not complain about their fate. Neville might be sore the next day, but his grin and glow would likely last a week. Not even Snape at his most Snapish would be able to cause the Longbottom heir to loose the joy.

Soon even Ranma and Akane had left, once again leaving only Harry and Luna in the room. The blond witch cast several spells, insuring there privacy while the dark haired youth cast all 6 of the different locking spells he'd learned on the door. Once this was done and they were sure they were alone, the pair settled into the chair abandoned by the Saotome's, while the blond reverted to her true form. They spent a small amount of time -no more then a mere half hour or so- snogging before cuddling together, enjoying each other's company.

"So have you been able to contact Lune through your link, Tonks?" Harry asked, his hands roaming aimlessly along his girlfriends body.

Tonks sighed, enjoying the sensations and eagerly letting her own hands roam. Thanks to Ranma and Akane's training, and the healthy diet force fed to him by Dobby, Harry was in the best shape of his life, and had bulked up considerably. He'd never be a body builder, but he was definitely showing some definition to his muscle tone.

"Nothing concrete, but I think that the link is working if we both happen to be asleep at the same time. And since she's on the other side of the world and night for her is day for us, then it's not working too well. I get some impressions from her, but it's all jumbled up and scattered. Lots of images of jungles and a sense of fear for water, but no thoughts or words. Hopefully, Ranma's friends who found her might be able to convince her to come back with them once they finish with whatever it is that Ranma sent them to do."

Harry nuzzled her hair. He was becoming insanely fond of peaches thanks to her shampoo. "I'm sure they will and if not, you- as Tonks- should be able to get a pass to visit her over there and bring her back. I'm really looking forward to getting to know the real Luna." He shifted a bit, feeling odd at the situation he found himself in. "And you're sure that Luna won't mind that we've ah . . .gotten to know each other while you were wearing her body? Or that you won't mind if I find that I care about her as much as I care about you?"

Tonks smiled, reveling in the knowledge that Harry was finally comfortable enough to open up about his feelings with her. "Trust me Harry, neither Luna nor I will have any reservations about both or either of us having a relationship with you. Frankly, I'm more concerned about how comfortable you'll be with the relationship Luna and I share together. She is younger then you even, and though I know all guys have a fantasy of sleeping with 2 women, being in a relationship is a lot different then just having sex together. We haven't taken that step, her and I but with the mind link we formed, it's a much more intimate relationship then sex. Not that sex doesn't help with the intimacy, but when your mind is literally joined to someone else's your tend to be closer then if it was a physical only relationship. Luna and I literally can't hide from each other, and this will cause issues between us, never mind adding you into our relationship. Even though we might all love each other, won't mean that we might not have things that we want to keep from each other. I love you Harry, and I love Luna, but I will not lie to either of you about anything. So if I happen to tell you that as much as I love you, I would be extremely tempted to give if in Ranma or Akane asked me to join them for a night or 3000, then you know that while I might be attracted to them physically, maybe even extremely attracted to them, I would never act on that attracted unless your were there with me, then you can trust that it's the truth. Between me and Luna those kinds of thoughts and feelings don't have to be stated. I know that she will always be loyal to me, and if for some reason you and she don't get alone, and that for a similar reason I find that while I still care for you, she means more to me, then she knows that I would remain loyal to her if she were to tell me to never be with you again. And though you and I or you and she don't have that same kind of connection I want you to trust that for similar reactions where any two of us decide that they would rather be together without the 3rd, that you can trust that those two, which ever they might be, and no matter what might linger between the three of us, we can all trust that none of us will hurt either of the others, should for some reason our relationship trio be reduced to a couple."

Harry groaned as his head was filled with various images and thoughts. It was painful to think about so he set it aside. "If you can place that kind of trust in me, then I can and will place that trust in you and Luna, Nym. I finally have something worth living for. I'm not going to do anything that might cause you to realize what kind of a bad draw you got when you chose me. I know you grew up in the muggle world as well as the wizard, so you might have heard the saying: 'Karma bites'. But considering what my life has been like, this must be Karma turning around and giving me something back for once. I don't know that even as bad as my life has been, that my karma deserves to have both you and Luna in my life. I'll probably be paying for it for the rest of my existence, but knowing just one of you almost makes it worth while. Though I'm not sure anything will ever be able to make up for having an insane hypocritical self-titled Lord homicidal maniac killing my parents and continuing to try and kill me every year."

With tears in her eyes, she wrapped her arms fully around her young lover, and held him tightly. "Nothing can ever make up for that kind of a loss, Harry. But I can promise you that Luna and I will certainly do our absolute best to try and do so."

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Luna awoke with a pleasant smile on her face. The light streaming through the window had been the cause of her waking from the rather erotic dream of herself and Harry Potter. Though she was enjoying the remembrance of the dream she wondered also as to it's source. While true that like 90 percent of the female population of the wizarding world, she'd had enjoyed many a previous erotic dream regarding the messy haired wizard, this particular dream was more solid and real then any of her previous such dreams. It had seemed far more like a memory then a dream, but she'd never engaged in a 3hour snog and petathon with Harry in what had looked like her lover's room. While true that she and Nymphie had never actually completed the physical act to becoming lovers, the link they had formed between their minds had lead to their sharing more then enough stray thoughts, dayrdreams and erotic mental exposure between them that there was no other word to describe their relationship then as lovers. She knew exactly what it would take make her Nymmie squeal in pleasure, and Nymmie knew how to return the favor for herself.

Shaking her head, she decided to consider the implications of such thoughts at later time. Right now, she needed to get up and join the others at the cooking pit. It had become her task to help feed the children who had become ill recently and she rather enjoyed it while she had been known as Denaar among the Tribe. Today was the day that the Orientals were going to be going over to Shawana and Kanale tribes to ask for permission to gain access to the Pearls of Wisdom as the two visitors from Japan referred to them, or as the Tribe called them, the 'Stones of Destiny.' She would be going along with them as with or without permission to see the Stones, the couple would then be first traveling to England, or more precisely Scotland, and meeting up with their leader, who apparently was a dragon of some kind. After that they had several other trips to make around the world to research and track down other ancient weapons and repositories of lost knowledge.

She was eager to return to her homeland and see her father again, as well as those few who she considered friends. But mostly, she was eager to get back to Hogwarts and confirm if the niggling suspicion she had about her recent dreams was fact. If they were memories that she herself could not recall, then there was only one possible source, and only one explanation. Her Nymmie must have taken her place and somehow, was now dating one of only a handful of males she'd ever found attractive.

She couldn't wait to experience snogging Harry with her own lips, and not as a memory of sensations from Nymmie's morphed into hers. Her only concern was that if Nymmie cared more for Harry then for her, and what if Harry wouldn't be able to accept either hers and Nymmie's relationship or that Nymmie had lied about who she was. She wanted to get home now in order to see about making sure there was a positive end to their triangular formation of relationships. Oh well, in the mean time she still had the dreams memories, and maybe one of them would give her some much needed information about the situation back home. Oddly, her normal insight into such things was being blocked somehow, and it was disturbing to be without that little gift of Sight that she'd inherited that had been a constant companion to her during her entire life, but that had only become stronger since her mother's unfortunate death.

If this was life without her Gift, then she wondered how any one ever managed to get through the day without collapsing into a pile of sobbing worry.

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	42. Section 42

HP Chapter 42

updating continues, thanks to all my readers and just to make sure it's understood, I own nothing except the idea of merging these particular series in the manner in which I have done so. All characters are the property of their rightful owners and no profit is intended to be made with these stories, they are written mainly for my own entertainment and to allow some of the thoughts in my head to flow out.

Please continue to read and review as I can only make this work with feedback and knowledge of what could be improved.

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"Look, I know how you feel. I understand what you're saying. Hell I don't want to do this any more than you do. But this plan has 3 main benefits."

The hard nosed, scarred individual sneered at his companions. He hated being subjected to the presence of these individuals. "What are these so called benefits?" he demanded as he looked around for any potential threats or means of entertainment.

"One- while these people are crazy, it's fairly easy to control them.

Two- even with their delusions, they know our enemy better hen almost anyone else we've been able to contact.

Three- most importantly they are rich. R-I-C-H-E. They make Richard Bronson and Donald Trump look like squeegee kids." The figure held up a hand to cut off his associates questions. "Let me phrase that in terms you would understand. They make the Malfoy's look like Weasley's when it comes to their money. These crazy fools will throw their money behind anyone who is trying to kill or destroy Ranma Saotome. And even you wizards realize that money is needed to run an operation such as yours. Your Lord requires the money these idiots possess to make his take over go more smoothly so that there is something for him to actually rule once you win your little revolution. And they will make excellent cannon fodder, and will pay for others to join them on the front lines as target practice to wear out our enemies until the big guns can go in and wipe out what's left. They also have ties to the Yakuza and the Triads and can pay to get some of the mercenaries in both the normal and wizard world to join up."

McNair was a simple man with simple tastes. A little rape, a lot of destruction and a steady flow of death and he was happy. What many of his opponents and even his allies didn't realize was that simple didn't mean stupid. If it hadn't been for the filthy mudblood Evans and the wolf Lupin matching a pair of Ravenclaws, he would have graduated as the top ranked student of their year. So he was more then up to the task of seeing the points the hairy bastard he was accompanying was trying to make. "How did you get involved and why do you hate this Ranma person? And what is your name anyway?"

The man snorted. "My name is Juan Sanchez Ramirez Oscar de la Hoya Miranda de la Cardinal. Cal me Steve. And I hate Saotome because he ruined the best gig I ever had. I was working for a guy who owned an island that drifted on the oceans. We'd show up somewhere raid a little, rape a lot. But when Saotome showed up, he changed the boss and convinced him to give up his life style and turn into a goody goody. So we had to stop the raids and especially the rapes. So instead of being able to indulge in my urges and not have to worry about any thing catching up to me, I have to be almost insanely careful in the targets I choose to show my special care towards. One little brat slips out of my room and I get fired. Hell I just barely get out of there alive. I was dropped on an island off the cost of Siberia. Let me tell you this pal, Siberians are incredibly vicious towards any one who harms a child. I tried convincing them I didn't do anything the brat didn't want, and besides I lowered my standard and picked up a teen, not a child. For some reason it didn't seem to matter to them. Hey, after all you know the saying. If there's grass on the field, it's time to ball. And if there isn't any grass it's time to plant some seed."

McNair growled in anger, though he was sure his associate misunderstood the true source of his rage. At a young age, McNair had been victim to several older relatives who were like this Steve. It was one of the reasons he was the last of his family. As soon as he'd become strong enough, he'd sought out his abusers and taken great joy in showing them the skills he'd learned to become the Ministry's Executioner. He had held a private ceremony after the last died where he'd ensured that he would never fall into their insanity by means of a quick cutting curse and ended the McNair line forever. He was the last and there was no means for his cursed bloodline to carry onto another unfortunate child.

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Luna's eyes darted around nervously as they approached the departure gate. While she was used to airplane travel thanks to her trips with her father, she had never been to a field that was as busy as this one. There had to be as many people in the airport as there had been at the last Quidditch World Cup. She was still trying to process what she had learned over the last few days since recovering her memories.

She and Tonks had finally managed to join up in sleep and have somewhat of a dream conversation. Tonks had been able to explain the condition of their new relationship with Harry and had passed over more memories and experiences into Luna's mind. Luna was ecstatic to learn that she was returning home to be in a relationship with both of the people that she loved. She was intelligent enough to know that there would be a period of adjustment for all three of them once she returned. She would be resuming her place and Tonks would either leave Hogwarts or stay in some other capacity. Still, the fact that her long held dreams were going to be coming true had her feeling giddy.

Tonks had long known of and returned Luna's feelings, but had been reluctant to act on them. While same gender pairings were not unusual and even polygamy was fairly common, Tonks had not wanted to risk censure for being in a relationship with a underage girl, unmarried girl. Now that Harry was an actual part of the relationship and not just a dream they both had desired to join them, things had changed. While Harry was underage, as the last of his line, it was almost required that he seek to grow his family with as many witches as possible, regardless of age. And since she and Tonks would both be in a relationship with him, it was pretty much expected that they either enter a relationship with each other as well, or if they despise each other, then they would each attempt to monopolize Harry for themselves while minimizing the other's interactions. Luna had no doubts as to which type of relationship she would work towards, and was confidant that Tonks was on the same path as herself.

Most people, upon learning that someone had assumed their identity while they'd been gone a time, would react angrily. Especially if they learned that the person assuming their identity had managed to seduce the person that they had been planning on approaching. Luna, as most who knew her, was not most people. She trusted Tonks fully. How could she not, as they shared a connection that was enhanced by the magical journals that Tonks had basically downloaded into her own mind. Tonks had been there for her at the worst time of Luna's life, and while her feelings had wavered between maternal and romantic, and childish crush and mature love, the metamorph had never ridiculed or patronized the younger witch as so many others had done. Tonks had accepted the confession of Luna's crush during the time directly after the death of Selene Lovegood. She had ridden the embarrassing period of Luna's burgeoning pubescent feelings and returned and accepted Luna's mature feelings towards her.

She never used Luna's feelings against her, and though Luna was chronologically 14, Tonks treated her as a fully mature and emotionally stable witch. This was easy for the metamorph as she herself was emotionally younger then her chronological age would indicate. A voice from behind her drew her attention, and she turned her head to watch as the boy in the dress was told to drop all metal objects into the tray after the buzzer on the machine went off for the 3rd time.

She and the security guard watched as an amazingly large pile grew in the small tray. Many items were simply a variety of standard muggle beauty enhancers. This included 6 different manicure/pedicure sets, and 3 bottles of hairspray along with lipstick, eyeliner, mascara compact, a small coin purse, paper clips and safety pins. Most surprising was a dozen throwing stars and several long thin, almost stake like knives.

The lone, formerly bored, guard's eyes widened and she shakily drew her tazer while directing Konatsu to step away. Still smiling and now holding his hands up in such a way that his wide sleeves fell to his elbows, exposing his bare forearms, the cross-dressing ninja obeyed the actions, if not the words of the guard. The guard was babbling quickly in Portuguese, and Konatsu clearly didn't understand the words.

The action drew the attention of Luna's other companions, the tall masculine Ukyo sighing in exasperation as she clearly caught on to the situation. The guard had hit an alarm and soon they were surrounded by more then a dozen guards, some of whom Luna saw were carrying wands illusioned to look like muggle weapons. She made a note to mention to her father that Brazil's wizarding populace was another that was more integrated then the archaic and self insular British society.

The excitement started to die down and vanished completely when Ukyo was able to provide their diplomatic papers, confirming permission for them to travel under armed conditions. Even through international terminals and airspace. The papers contained the seal of Japan, the US, Russia, Canada, the UN and also displayed the personal signatures of the leaders of each of those bodies. Security eventually produced a case to carry the majority of the restricted gear, but had to allow Konatsu to rearm himself. He was listed as a bodyguard for the Angwan ambassador, Ukyo Kuonji. They did request that he limit himself so he selected 3 of the stake like blades. All this was confirmed with a telephone call to the Brazilian Japanese consulate to confirm their diplomatic and immunity status.

While most of the guards had focused on the Asian couple, a pair of officers wielding the disguised wands had quietly approached Luna, who handed over her paperwork. Her originals had been lost during her little journey down the waterfall, but luckily Kanale were a modern people as well as a magical people. She'd been able to contact her father through the International Floo Network. He had used a muggle fax machine to send her copies of her passport and other paperwork while Ukyo and Konatsu had convinced the elders of the Kanale to allow them to retrieve the Stones. The elders had insisted on sending 2 of their best warriors to help protect the precious cargo.

The village of the Kanale was in itself a surprise. Unlike most of the tribes in the are, they had integrated and kept up to date on modern technology. While on the surface they appeared as traditional as any other tribe in the area, their homes had indoor plumbing, electricity, air conditioning and other modern conveniences. These included TV, telephones, fax machines and computers with satellite/broadband internet capabilities. They had explained that they kept up the appearance to ease interactions between the Kanale people and the other villages. It also provided them a source of revenue through tourism that the outer lying villages could not provide or indulge in.

The disguised wizard politely returned her paperwork. Luna smiled and put it away. The two villagers, Yano and Onai, had no issues with either group of security. They had gone through first and due to the tribal negotiations, were allowed to carry their traditional gear, including what most civilized people would consider as ceremonial showpiece weaponry.

They boarded the plan and were escorted to 1st class. They were traveling as a diplomatic envoy from the new country of Angwan, which was a protectorate of Japan. From what Luna understood, the arrangement between the countries was somewhat of a cross between the relationships of Canada to Britain and Puerto Rico to the US. Angwan was apparently a diplomatic Empire. The current ruler was Emperor Ranma Saotome who had been chosen to lead the ruling Council, which was made of the highest ranking members of the 3 tribes of their people. Lord Ranma, as he had grudgingly accepted being referred, had through many trials and tribulations of his life won the respect and loyalty of his people. They had placed themselves fully and knowingly under his rule in a way as binding as that of any medieval tyrant of history had held his over his people . The only checks on Ranma's actions were his own honor, the leaders of each individual tribal party, his wife and his mother.

From the way Ukyo spoke of Ranma and the bitterness that bled through when discussing his wife, Luna suspected that Ukyo had once desired the title of Mrs. Saotome.. She certainly seemed happy with her current relationship with the effeminate ninja, but Luna well knew that the pain of loosing your 1st love to another never really went away. While she had grown to love her Nymphet, and care for Harry over the last few years, neither had been her first crush and she still wished that things had gone differently with that person.

'I probably shouldn't have just kissed her in the middle of the corridor of the Express on the first day going to Hogwarts. She hasn't treated me the same since and I suspect that the way others treat me has something to do with them seeing me kissing her like that so publicly.' she thought to herself as she considered the case of her one time crush on Ginevra Weasley.

Thankfully Ginny had never grown as cruel towards her as any potential witnesses must have, but it was unlikely that they would ever be anywhere near as close as they were before that kiss. It didn't help that Ginny continued to obsess over all the 'Boy-Who-Lived' trash that was spouted in regards to Harry. Ginny's desire to be Mrs. Boy-who-Lived would also hinder any attempt to restore their lost closeness. Luna felt little remorse towards Ginny in regards to her own current and pending relationship with Harry.

Ginny didn't want Harry Potter, she wanted the fame and fortune of marrying the last of the Potter family. She might like Harry as an individual, but clearly what she was more interested in was the money and fame of wedding the 'Boy-who-Lived'. She'd often regaled Luna with stories of what her life as Mrs. Harry Potter would be like and how even after she had the money, she would be sure to remain friends with Luna.

Luna too had dreams of marrying Harry and becoming Luna Lovegood Potter, but she cared little for the titles or wealth. The Lovegood's were a distaff branch of the main Malfois line and were wealthy enough for even the cadet branch of Lucius and Narcissa to be satisfied. Her 6 times great grandmother had married Archibald Weasley, and since the Malfois were a more powerful and financially secure line, he took her name. Once married, she abandoned the Malfois name and became Cloris Lovegood.

Luna's mother had been a spellcrafter for the Dept of Mysteries and they were receiving a generous stipend for the work she'd done. She had died while working on a project assigned by the Dept and so the had arranged for the Lovegood's to continue to receive her mother's payment for a period of ½ a witches life. So for the next 60-80 years, they would be receiving roughly 300 galleons every two weeks as compensation for her loss. Not that money was ever a factor in her family. Unlike her twisted cousin Draco.

Her father, Xenophilius (call me 'Odd') had been born into the primary Cadet branch of the Malfoy family. While tolerated by his parents, being the oldest son, with their death, he had been disavowed by his brother, Lucius. They had named the younger brother as their heir, but prohibited him magically from disowning or casting out his older brother. Nor could he block the inheritance they had left for their son that they felt unfit for their lands and titles. The inheritance had allowed Odd to quit the Auror forces and start his lifelong dream of the Quibbler. He had originally planned a serious social and political magazine, but an accident with the original printing press followed days later by his wife's death while he was still unconscious in St Mungo's had permanently affected his mental state.

The Quibbler had become instead an object of ridicule and fantasy. While the percentage of truth in the stories was far higher then was commonly accepted, there were occasional stories or articles that were a result of Odd Lovegood's altered mental capabilities. Contrary to popular opinion among so called educated individuals, all the creatures that were profiled in the Quibbler did exist where some of the conspiracy theories might be enhanced. The creatures themselves were usually known by other names. Muggle names. Which was why wizards claimed they didn't exist. How was a wizard to know that a crumpled horn snorcack was simply a goat with a genetic defect that pushed their horns to grow together into a single horn. From a distance they looked crumpled. And that a long faced geriwigle was, while also an oddity in the Muggle world, a duck billed platypus.

A venomous, billed mammal that lays eggs was unbelievable, even by a culture that used half eagle/half-horse creatures for transportation and where a school used invisible, horse shaped lizards whose skin was like rotten flesh that were winged and could only be seen by someone who had personally witnessed death as the means to pull carriages full of school children from a hidden village in the middle of Scotland to an even better hidden School that taught it's students magic. They had an easier time believing dragons, and com sized spiders and dealt with soul sucking demons as prison guards, yet would not believe that the platypus was a real creature even if she produced one for display. Though at that point, the muggle-born would likely realize the trick to the animals in the Quibbler and she could have allies in broadening the horizons of her surprisingly unimaginative people.

Sighing as she settled into the comfortable seat near the window, she decided that she would get some rest once they took off. They had a brief stop over in Miami, then they would fly from there to New York, where they were changing to a private plane chartered for diplomatic use by the Japanese Embassy. After that it was into London, and from there a trip to Diagon Alley to meet up with members of the Order of the Phoenix and her father, who would assist them in getting first to Hogsmeade and from there, on to Hogwarts. And a reunion with the people she loved.

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BONUS CLIP:

description: Story of Odd Lovegood.

Notes: heres a part I wanted to use, but couldn't think of were to place it. Should be a short blurb (I hope) of how Xenophilius became known as 'Odd'. Hope it comes out right.

Xenophilius Malfoy was a dangerous man. He was one of the top Aurors currently in service and had been trained personally by Auror legend Alastor 'Mad Eye' Moody. He had been raised under the Malfois traditions and graduated in the top ten students. He knew and used what was classed as Dark Magic in the pursuit of the truly Dark Wizards. Only James Potter and Sirius Black had scored higher marks than him in the Auror training program, and the pair had only a slightly higher success rate for capture and contain. His mortality rate for suspects was higher, as he was a firm believer that a dead Death Eater was the only safe Death Eater.

But right now none of that mattered. It was a week before the summer solstice and his wedding to Selene Lovegood. As arranged, and due to the traditional wizarding method of the lower ranking individual takes the higher ranks name, he would become Xenophilius Lovegood at that time. Right now he was trying to get his friends, who were throwing him a stag party to understand why he, who was of the Malfoy line, was taking the name of a lower level family.

Being drunk off his ass wasn't helping.

"Looksh, it'sh like dish. Lovegoods are Ma fois too. See, 'lene's grea great grea great" there was a pause as the inebriated groom tried to count on his fingers, but couldn't grasp why he suddenly had 8 fingers on each of his four hands. "How many graces is that?" he asked the equally non sober Sirius Black who was seated next to him.

"Don't matter." the last son of the Black family stated. Unlike his friend, he was an experienced drunk, and he still could pretend to be sober, even while being blarringly drunk. "So you're marring y're cusin? My family wanted me and Reggie do that too. Me and Narcy and Reggie and Bella. Course with Reggie dead, and me a filthy blood traitor, Narcy gonna be married to your poufy brother, and Bella to his poufy friend Lestrange."

"'ich one?" James asked from his spot further down the bar. " they both poufs, aint they? Just like Snibelbus?"

Remus Lupin shook his head as he watched the three drunk Aurors carrying on the conversation. He was the only one still sober as he metabolism burned through alcohol like it was water. "Snape isn't a pouf, James. You're just angry that Lilly still considers him a friend, and won't listen to you when you try to tell her about his obsession with her. Now it's getting late and we should think about heading home soon."

Sirius barked out a laugh. "Forget that, Moony. We came here for some action, and if the strippers ain't here, then it's time for a brawl."

Remus sighed while James and Xenophilius leaned in closer. "You can't just start a brawl, Sirius. Who you going to fight, the biker's over their? Or the dock hands and shop owners enjoying a pint or three?"

Sirius took a lazy look at the two groups as though weighing the decision. With a grin, he grabbed a can and with amazing accuracy for someone who'd down what should have been a lethal amount of alcohol, nailed the head of the biker he'd tagged as the leader of the gang. The man stood and glared at Sirius. Though the biker had the standard look for someone of that lifestyle, he wasn't an idiot and he could tell from the way that Sirius was sitting that the other man wanted a fight so he didn't react other then the glare. Sirius pointed at Remus and called out to the biker. "My friend here says he just finished banging your mother and she was so loose she could have fit a giant and still have room for the Cannons."

The man turned and glared at Sirius again. "Ain't never new my mother, she dumped me at a church. So you'll have to try hard, boy." He went to turn back to his friends when another can bounced off his head. He spun around and face Sirius who was now sitting up rigidly and menacingly. "I remember you. I blew by you today on the road. You were ridding that dinky little toy. What's wrong, not man enough to ride a real bike?" James let out a barking laugh, while Remus coughed and Xenophilius

The man's eyes widened and he reached back and broke his bottle against the table. "You can say what you want about me, my mother and my woman, but nobody harps on my Harley." He surged towards Sirius who grinned and flowed up to meet the attack. Within seconds the room had exploded and bodies, bottles, and stools were flying through the air in a cacophony of chaotic carousal.

The Aurors arrived and within seconds all the combatants were stunned and being sorted. They too one look at the pair that had slumped to the ground and passed out, back to back and snoring and laughed amongst themselves as they all recognized the pair. It would be around the office within minutes. They decided to put a rookie on taking names and statements and sent the man to interview

"May I get your name sir?" the young Auror asked the man he had just restrained while looking around the ruins of the bar. 'Damn, looks like it was a good fight. Wish I hadn't switched shifts with Scrims. Coulda been in on the action.'

"call m.e.. 'ove g ooD" he slurred. The Auror could not make out what the drunk man was saying, so he put in his report, that the man had given his name as Odd NoLastName.

The paper work filed with the ministry for the wedding self updated, and three days later, just as the moon hit it's peak in the night time journey, Xenophilius 'Odd NoLastName' Malfoy wed the love of his life Selena Agnes Lovegood.

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AN

Hope you all enjoyed.


	43. Section 43

HP 43

sorry for the long delay, I had started this before the unforunate takeover of my job. Since then I haven't had much interest in actually writing anything, though I do have some things down for other stories as well. Just haven't had the motivation or desire to write them up and post anything recently.

SO hope you enjoy.

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"Harry!" The dark haired young man just addressed turned just in time to catch the self-propelled missle that was his girlfriend.

Having had no time to prepare, Harry was slammed into the wall, the crack of his head on the stone causing even Argus Filch to wince before he began his usual tirade against the actions of the sutdent population.

Dazed by the introduction of his skull to yet another piece of Hogwarts masonry, and furhter winded by the lack of air that had fled his lungs in fear of their potential invasion by his turncate ribs, it was understandable that Harry was startled to come back to himself only to find that his girlfriends tongue was currently making it's introduction to his larynx.

Eventually the need for air forced the girl to release her prey's mouth, though she continued to rearrange his ribs and internal organs. Luckily the pleasant haze resulting from the kiss over rode the pain of her untrained attempts at body modification.

Harry smiled goofily as he drew in air. "It's good to see you too, Luna. What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I finally got through! We spoke last night and she is coming home! She should be arriving at Heathrow tonight, then a connecting flight to Glasgow. Xeno and Bill will be meeting the flight in London and tracking the plane to Glasgow. We need to talk to Dumbledore to get permission to go and meet the plane in Glasgow."

"Who's coming home? And did you just call your father Xeno?" Hermione asked as she and Ron watched the pair.

Luna startled for a moment, not having noticed that Harry was not alone. She gave Harry a questioning glance and the bemused wizard simply shrugged as if indicating that he had no opinion on her potential reply.

She took a look around and saw all the attention focussed on them and blushed. "Ah, maybe we should find somewhere more private. The less people who know, the better." The others agreed and after Luna and Harry were helped to their feet, they left the corridor to find a more secure location for the pending discussion.

None of them noticed a well-formed girl with startling lavender hair sneak from the watching crowd. Nor did they witness a small pink and white furred cat follow them and sneak into the empty classroom where they proceeded to have what they assumed would be a private discussion.

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Shampoo smirked as she resumed human form. The news she had just eavesdropped on could be quite useful. She would get in touch with her contact in Hogsmeade to pass the news to Safuron and Voldemort. Perhaps they can arrange to meet this true Luna girl and the thrice damned chef. Their deaths, or better yet, their capture and torture would distract bot Potter and Saotome, letting her try to get close enough to end their cursed existences.

It would put her in both dakr masters good graces. Then, once they finished the desctruction of their mutual enemies, she and her Amazon sisters would put down the feeble minded yet powerful males and rule as they had always been meant to rule.

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"- and I followed her to were she'd hidden her clothes before returning to you, master."

"Hmm. Interesting." a puff of smoke joined the haze near the ceiling of the poorly ventilated cave that the ancient pervert had claimed as his base.

"Should we warn Saotome or these foreigners that Shan Pu knows of their deceit and the arrival?"

Happosai shook his head. "Not yet. Knowing Ranma, the boy would insist on going to meet the plane and with a full contingent of warriors. I have a better idea. I will contact the Council and get some funds to hire specialist in covert actions from Lizzie. Maybe some snipers and a few agents of MI6."

Mu Tsu frowned. "You have mentioned this Lizzie before, Master. Who is she, and how can she assist us?" There was a pause before the impatient young man continued. "And why bother with foreigners? Surely between the Tribes of Angwan we have more then enough warriors with the appropriate skill required for your plan."

Happosai blew a series of rings as he listened to his apprentice voice his concerns. "!st, we are the foreingers here, and our agents would stand out amongst the population of the gaijin. Brittish agents will be less noticable among Brittish people and other Westerners." He paused for a moment, watching a particular ring as it faded away. "As for Lizzie, you might know her best as Queen Elizabeth II. I met her long ago when I was hired as both a bodyguard and Asian language and history tutor. I have kept in touch over the years. I think that it's time for me to meet with her again."

123 Flashback Numero Duece

"You can't be serious!" James exclaimed as he struggled to remain upright. The dozen empty shot glasses in front of him a testament to his current state of being.

"No, I'm Xenophilius. I knew you've had a bit to drink James, but that is the worst pronunciation of my name I've ever heard. And you wonder why I asked you to call me Odd." the other man shook his head, the table in front of him also showing evidence of theit evening activities.

James looked at the other man in confussion before shaking his head slowly. "Never mind. If Lils ever hears what you just conned me into, she'll petrify me, strip me naked, lather me in honey and peanut butter and lock in a room with Peter frozen in his animagus form! I can't believe I even listened to you! Let alone signed this thing." hestated, waving a pieace of paper around drunkenly.

Odd shrugged carefully, his whoel body swaying in an invisible breeze. "I'm sure it won't be that bad, James. It is a time honored tradition afterall."

James snorted before downing another shot of firewhiskey. "But it's a tradition neither of our families ever really enforced and Lils is a muggleborn. She's not a big fan of the pureblood traditions. You remember the time Sirius mentioned that as Head of House Potter I was entitled to have 3 wives? She stripped him naked, slathered him in Worsteshire and locked him in a room with Remus during a full moon. And I had to sleep on the couch for a month. A whole month! And I didn't do anything."

Odd shivered. This was not the first time he'd heard of Lilly Evans penchant for stripping people naked, slathering in various condiments and locking them in rooms with things that might seek to harm them. He rather foundly remember the time he'd made her late for class and get detention with Filch, and she'd retaliated by stripping him naked, slathering him in whipped pudding and locking him in a room with Selene. It was early the next morning, after untying him and healing the bruises and scratches she'd inflicted on him that she had proposed. He'd later over heard her thanking Lilly for her help in capturing him, as up to that point, he'd been much to timid to approach the elfish blond beauty that had stolen his heart.

"I feel for you James. I know I'd rather be painted in BBQ sauce and locked in room with a ravenous werewolf then have to sleep on the couch alone for a month myself. But still, don't worry, I'm sure Lilly won't have a problem with this. You know how close she and Selene are. Heck, it was Lilly that helped Selene and I get together in the first place."

"But we're talking about arranging a marriage between my three month old son and your not yet born daughter. And adding in a clause that not only allows for Harry to have other wives, but would allow your daughter to pick those wives and basically force Harry to marry the women she chooses."

During their conversation, Odd had called the server over and changed from the now empty firewhiskey to the less entoxicating butterbeer. "James, you know that my family is decended from a long line of Seers. And that Selene is as well. Since her pregnancy, her powers have grown. She's seen images of the future and they are both bleak and wondrous. She's seen Harry and little Luna grown up and sharing their lives together with a third witch. A very special witch."

"How special?" James asked, getting interested despite himself. "A veela?" he'd had a fascination with veela sinceh is first family trip to France when he'd been 10years old. And despite the rather adventurous nature of their private lives, Lilly had always refused to make any permanent arrangements or any arrangements with a veela. So James figured that if he was going to be denied his lifelong goal, at least he could try and help his son.

"A metamorph." Odd stated with a significant look at James.

James frowned as his drink addled mind tried ot focus. "A metamorph? But the only meta morph in England right now is . . . . Andie and Ted's daughter."

"Exactly. And think of it James. The lines of Potter, Black, Malfois and Lovegood bound together."

It took a moment but the significance of these connections finally became clear in his mind. His eyes widdened and he leaned back. "I need to sit down."

"You are sitting." Odd stated with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Right." James took a breath. "By Merlin Odd, do you know what this could mean?"

Odd nodded. "Yes I do. James, likely better then you do." He pondered for a moment whether to let James know of the other potential futures for their children but decided to hold back. It was a decision he would later regret more then any other in his life. "Besides James, this whole idea was Lilly's any way. She approached Selene, and the two of them together wrote this up. She knew that with the way it was worded, you would never sign it with a clear mind, so she had Selene convince me to come here tonight with you after our shift and con- er talk you into the arrangement." He finished his bottle. "Enough about that, have you and Lilly decided on if you are going to follow Dumbledore's advice and go into hiding under the Fidelius?"

"We've argued about it six ways around, but we finally did agree, though we are not letting him be the secret keeper. And I don't know if I trust his claim that Remus, as a werewolf, would not be able to be secret keeper. And everyone is going to know that if we don't choose Remus, then it would be Sirius and I don't know if I want to put that burden on him, what with all the trouble recently with Regulus."

It was here that Xenophilius 'Odd' Lovegood made the statement that would haunt him and countless others for the next 30 years. A statement that couple with his wifes death would shatter his mind and turn him into a pale shadow the wizard he had been. "Why not choose Peter? No one would ever think that you would pick him."

And with those words, a line of fate was drawn that would alter the lives of untold numbers of magical and muggle alike for generations to come.

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I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and what comes next. A little short I know, but I have my muse back and hopefully will be writing more soon.


	44. Section 44

HP vs. Ranma

the continuing saga of my continuation of Comes the Cold Dragon by Don Granberry, which was his continuation of Ranma ½ by Rumiko Takahashi merging with Harry Potter by JK Rowling.

UP next.....Tonks meets Luna, Arthur Weasley at an airport, and a little misdirection.

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The sun was still low in the sky, rising slowly towards midday. The sky was clear, holding only a few puffs of cloud. There was a chill in the air that was typical of the season. The sound of roaring engines carried into the distance, accompanied by fainter sounds of humanity's chaos driven rush for civilization.

A large, eclectic group of individuals stood staring at the field of asphalt and the variety of magnificent flying machines that most had never even known existed. Every thing from 2 seater private owner Cessna to the massive, multi hundred seat Boeing's taxied the field in a minutely coordinated dance of take off and landings. Arthur Weasley was bouncing around like a 4 year old who'd mainlined a 6packc of Red Bull followed by downing enough sugar to fill Wimbledon stadium. Only his wife's bemused yet firm grip held him in place as he prattled on about the advances in Muggle technology. If not for the dozen different charms cast to repel Muggle notice and attention, he likely would have caused the single largest breach of the Statute of Secrecy since Merlin decreed that the worlds be separated.

Even through the dozen charms (a mix of notice-me-not's and Muggle repeling) several passing individuals shivered and sped up, not conciously noticing Arthur's eyes tracking them like a wolf stalking a deer. He wished that Hermione or her parents were here to explain the wonders of the massive multitudes of miraculous machinery manned by the myriad of mysterious muggles.

In an attempt to throw off any potential security breaches, there had been a change of plans. Instead of going from Heathrow in London to Glasgow international, the arrivals had transferred over to London Stansted and hopped a flight to Prestwick International. Prestwick was a 45min train ride from Glasgow and about 1 hour from Edinburgh. It held an attached train station with an over head bridge walkway connecting the main terminals.

The welcoming group consisted of Molly and Arthur, Bill and his new fiancée Fleur Delacour, Tonks in her 'normal' form, Kingsley Shacklebolt and Mad Eye Mooney and finally Xenophilius Lovegood. They were accompanied by Ryoga and Taro. Harry had not been permitted to come, and Ranma had not been willing to leave without Akane who had not wanted to miss any of her classes. It had been determined that it would be a good idea to have at least some of the Angwan representatives go in case they encountered another joint attack by their enemies. As well as being there to greet Ukyo and Konatsu who would not be remaining but would instead be continuing their search for the various artifacts.

Tonks was nearly as hyper as Arthur as she waited for the girl who held so much of her heart. She had enjoyed her time disguised as Luna (especially all the time getting to 'know' Harry better) but would be glad to be herself. She knew that Harry loved her, but she'd had to focus so hard to portray Luna, she had not been able to completely be herself, even when they had been alone. And though she and Luna were both considered oddities in the magical world with many aspects of their personalities. It would be fun to show Harry the parts of her self she had not been able to share with him before.

She glanced down at the paper in her hand, confirming the flight number and ETA. The announcement came over the loudspeaker and Tonks started herding the group to the arrival gate. She smiled at the guards manning the security counter before joining Odd near the entrance so they would be the first to spot Luna.

Not spotting her immediately, her eyes wandered to study the other passengers. There were the typical mix of businessman, families and tourists, and then she spotted a pair that were definitely not typical. She recognized them by description if not by personal knowledge. A tall Japanese woman with long hair talking to an effeminate Japanese man who were stopped by security. Tonks watched as the guards got nervous when the pair started dropping several weapons into the tray while glancing repeatedly at their passports. The pair eventually cleared through the machine, only for security to tense up again at the next pair.

She then watched as Ryoga and Taro greeted the Japanese couple. She noticed the woman's disappointed expression before it vanished and recalled that Akane had told her that this woman had at one time wanted to have Ranma for herself. She listened in with her limited knowledge of Japanese but all she could make out was that Ukyo was upset that Ranma was not here to greet her.

So entranced was she by what she assumed was a string of off color remarks, she missed the blond missile that flew by her to slam into the man in the lime green suit with neon pink stripes. She was brought out of her minor trance as the cry of "Daddy!" that followed the missile nearly knocked her over.

She spun and her heart swelled at the touching sight of the father/daughter reunion. She itched to join them but knew that she'd have a chance to greet Luna later. Besides she was having too much fun watching the reunions and introductions going on.

"Dora?" came the voice she had used for several months but had longed to hear coming from the original source.

"Yes, love?" she asked, as her blond waif called her name.

"Don't you have a hug for me?" Luna asked in a small voice. She was shifting on her feet nervously, not quite looking at the older girl who had spent several months living her life, and getting closer to the man they both desired.

Finally breaking, Tonks threw her arms around the girl and pulled her into a hug followed quickly by a searing kiss. A small part of her mind cataloged the differences and similarities of this kiss compared to those she'd shared with Harry over the last few months. Of course most of those kisses had been while she'd been wearing Luna's form and under the influence of Luna's own mind through their mental link and the diary.

The pair eventually broke the kiss to rousing applause and catcalls from their associated groups as well as nearby muggle men(and quite a few of the women). The sight of the two practically snogging was more then enough to break the protective charms and gain notice by the muggles. As they stood in each other's arms, blushing furiously, the muggle crowd dispersed, once again being influenced by the magic protections.

"I've missed you so much, Luna. We have so much to talk about." Tonks stated as she held onto the other girl, but now standing on one side, her father taking up the other.

Luna frowned as she greeted the rest of the group. She turned back to her lover. "Where's Harry? I was hoping to have some time with him away from school."

Tonks squeezed the smaller girl against her. "Dumb as a Door didn't think it was a good idea to let Harry off his leash and away from school. That's something we need to tell you. There's been some changes in the school and Snakeface has made some changes of his own. Harry's on restricted access and not allowed to leave school grounds until the end of year. And even then, Albie is going to stick him back at his old prison and wants to have a pair of guards 24/7. There are a few other things too, but I and a few of the others are trying to talk the old man out of his plans. But we aren't having a lot of luck. It's easier to convince Snapers to wash his hair then it is to get the geezer to change his mind."

Luna smiled. "I'm sure that the two of us, along with a little help from the Quibbler and the public can convince that manipulative old got to leave our man alone."

"Er, about that. "You know I love you Luna, and we talked about this before, but are you sure you really want to ah, share Harry? I mean, I . . . I love him, and the last few months have been great, but he really fell in love with me when I was you, so if you or he want to be together, alone, I ...I would understand."

Luna smiled at the girl who had held her heart for so long. "I love you as well, Nymphadora. I won't say that I haven't had concerns about a possible triangular relationship. But really, while you might have been pretending to be me, it was you that Harry has fallen in love with over the last few months. I am more concerned that now that you and Harry have found each other, neither of you would want to have me intrude. And I'm sure Harry's had some similar thoughts to our own relationship. What we need, all three of us, is to spend some time together, and I've been thinking of ways to do that. With a little tinkering by my father " Luna glance happily at the man walking next to her, he grinned down at her, having cast a privacy charm around the pair so they could hold their discussion. " and the Quibbler, we might be able to wrest control of Harry away from the Headmaster." Luna looked around, they had exited the airport and were now climbing the stairs up to the overhead bridge leading to the train station.

"How are we going to get to the school?"

"Actually, we are going to portkey to a safehouse in Hogsmeade. We'll have you stay there for a few days while Tonks brings you up to speed on what's been going on both in your personal lives and in the magical world." Xenophilius stated as he continued to smile at his daughter. The thought of loosing her had nearly broken him completely until Nymphadora had confirmed that she was still alive, if not quite herself. He was glad that Luna would have Dora looking out for her, but was a little confused by the situation regarding Harry Potter. True the boy was a trouble magnet and the top mark on the Dark Lord's hit list, but it was also true that the boy was the only one to thwart said Dark Lord and survive. Dumbledore's seeming infatuation with the boy told the hit wizard turned reported a great deal more then the old man would want others to suspect. Give that with the events of Harry being forced into the Triwizard and the other events the boy seemed to escape. Harry was obviously a powerful young man and would likely be the best bet for Luna to survive the escalating war.

Luna nodded, happy to finally be back where she belonged. The only thing missing was Harry. And hopefully, he would find a way to sneak out and visit her at the safehouse, where ever it would be.

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Harry had been annoyed to learn that the Headmaster considered it too dangerous for him to be allowed to accompany the group going to gather Luna from the airport. So he had instead cut class anyway and grabbed his broom, taking a flight around the grounds. He spent a few hours flying, occasionally dive bombing the lake, or skimming the treetops of the forest before landing on a platform that he had seen Ranma and Akane using to turn into dragons. Akane had managed to change, but only into a juvenile form, not yet capable of flight. Whereas Ranma was a blue with greenish highlights, Akane was a kaleidoscope of shades of red. Harry had not known how, but he had somehow known that the form Akane took was female. He didn't think that it was because Akane was female, but just something about the dragon form that screamed female to his instincts. He wished he could talk to Charlie Weasley about his experiences with dragons.

Sighing, he walked in through the doorway and found himself on a corridor on the 6th floor. He waited for the staircase to move into position, his broom held over one shoulder. As he started descending, he heard a familiar voice call out. Turning, he saw Remus Lupin standing on a platform near the 2nd floor, and he calculated the best way to reach the Marauder. Seeing that his current staircase was moving away from that particular section, he sighed again before a thought came to him. He hopped up onto the banister, then leapt out into the empty space. He allowed himself to fall three levels, before moving the broom into position and coasting to land near the frightened form of his former professor. Hoots and hollers filled the air as other students who'd been traveling the stairs watched his performance.

"Hi professor, what are you doing here?"

"Harry, I ...that is. . . there is someone who wants to meet you." Remus finally managed to get out. "I can promise that he doesn't want to hurt you or use you, but he's. . .. he's not someone who can be fully trusted. Except for the one thing which he wants to discuss with you. And Dumbledore can not find out that you have spoken to him. He's not part of the order or the ministry and he isn't a death eater, but he's also not someone Dumbledore would trust."

"So who is he and why is this such an issue?" Harry asked as the pair walked through the hall and into a empty classroom.

"His name is Icarus Caldwell. He was the Ministry's top werewolf hunter. He was also one of Fudge's influences and is likely the one behind some of the harsher laws regarding werewolves."

Harry whistled in appreciation, knowing how that particular list of works would not be acceptable by the man before him. "So why does he want to talk to you, and why are you so twitchy about him."

Remus sighed and collapsed on one of the chairs at the head of the class. "He was attacked recently by a group of Death Eaters and Phoenix warriors. He managed to escape, but he's done some research. He wasn't the only one targeted. Several of his classmates were also attacked. None of them survived. That leaves only two people from his entire time at Hogwarts still alive."

Harry had a bad feeling about this. "Who else?"

"Tom Riddle, who is better known as Voldemort." Remus paused seeing Harry pale. "There's one more thing you need to know."

"What's that?"

"He's my father."

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AN::

44 chapter's Luna is back, and Harry knows.


	45. Section 45

HP vs Ranma 45

Here's another chapter, sorry again for all the delays, I hope it's enjoyed.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and once again, I own nothing except how I fit these worlds together.

Now a little personal theory. Most people use Voldemort to translate as being Flight from Death. Which if you know french and break it down, it can come out that way. However, the way I see it either JKR was smarter then the later books indicate or it was a fluke, but another way to read Voldemort is Steel from Death.

see it breaks down like this

Vol can mean flight as in the sentence following: the bird flies in french is l'oiseau vols. Or if could be used as this sentence: he steals a car becomes il vole l'auto.

so vol can be used as either steal or fy, both of which fits with Riddle. He fears death so he is trying to fly from it's grasp but it also shows in that he is a stealer of death in that he steals the deahts of his enemies.

now the part de in Vol de mort, usually means either from or of, ad in he flies from death or he of a place. OF or From or pretty much internchangeble in these contexts so it doesn't matter much, but it could be translated as flight of death or thief of death either way works.

Finally, there is Mort. Mort pretty much translates out as death, but more as a state then as an act. example: il es mort means he is dead, while le morde d'artur means the death of arthur. so going again by this, it becomes flight of the dead, or thief of the dead, not death.

Anyway, just wanted to share some of my thoughts. Now on with the story.

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"I don't like this. Not at all."

"Don't be a spoilsport. The Plan is perfect."

"But why me? How did I ever let you talk me into this?"

"Because none of us have the legs for a miniskirt." there was a pause. "Well, maybe Sirius but he's too easy to pick out when he's in drag. Looks like a hairy Bellatrix." There was a second pause as they considered the dark haired and dark souled beauty. "Besides we'd be the prime suspects and Sirius is going to be at a club making a fool of himself and we have to be there to make sure everyone knows it's him and not Regulus."

"Di you have to shave me everywhere? It's cold and that contraption you used pulled like a waladoo."

"It's called an eclectic razer."

"Actually, it's electric. Eclectics is what you call crazy people when they are rich."

James sighed, a headache starting as Sirius and Remus began another argument. "Look Odd, I'm sorry it hurt but it's essential to the plan."

"Wouldn't it have been easier to use polyjuice?" Odd asked as a niggling doubt swirled in his mind.

The other four men looked at each other and shrugged. "That's a good question. I suppose we'll have to ask Lils later. But this way is better."

Odd filed away the tidbit that this was planned by Lily Evans. The gesture drew his attention again to the new growths on his chest. He reached up and gave them a squeeze, marveling at the feel of them in his hands. They were soft and weighty and he could detect no difference between these transfigured fakes and the real things.

"This is great work, Peter. I wouldn't think that you of all people would do such a good job. How did you get so good with this transfiguration?"

Peter blushed and looked away, mumbling under his breath so that they couldn't hear his response.

"Sorry Peter, didn't quite catch that?"

Peter whirled around and glared at the blond. "Practice! Damn it. I've had a lot of practice with this spell. Unlike you lot, girls are falling all over me. Even that ghost, Myrtle is disgusted by me." a dejected and despairing expression crossed the chubby young man's face. "I get so lonely. So I found that spell and practiced it and others close to perfect."

Remus started. "Is that why her pillow smells so funky? And has those stains the house elves won't touch? Man Peter, that is pathetic."

James winced as horrible images filled his head. "Let's all agree never to mention, think of or in any way allude to Peter's pillow pounding. In fact, once we finish this prank, I demand to be obliviated." He paused and the others murmured agreements. "Now back to the plan. Odd, you're going to slink up to Snape, who is known to go the Hogshead to get plastered. You then slip this roofie Lils cooked up into his drink and lead him to a back room."

"James will be there with a camera. He takes a few candid shots of you and Snape in compromising situations. We use a spell to glamour your face into that guy from Smile. Then we post the pics around school and everyone sees what kind of a freak Snape really is."

"We would have used old Lucy or one of the Weirdo brothers, but everyone already knows what kind of ponces they are. Besides no one would believe they ever cheat on each other, especially not with dear old Sevvie." Sirius added.

"I don't have to actually do anything, do I?" Odd asked nervously. "I mean, Selene and I have played a bit, and it was okay, but Snape? She'd never forgive me."

James chuckled. "Selene was the one to volunteer you to Lily when we pointed out we needed a non-Marauder as the drag queen. That is one kinky wife you have Odd. She wanted us to wax you. And trust me, you don't want to know that pain. Lils did it to me once, and I cried every time I had to use the loo for a week."

"Selene and Lily came up with this plan? Not the four of you?" Odd asked feeling a little surprised.

Remus nodded in reply. "Lily came up with at least half the stuff we've pulled off. But the best prank is the one she pulled on the whole school, no on the whole Wizarding world."

Intrigued the newly busty blond couldn't help asking. "What did she pull off?"

James grinned proudly as they all laughed wildly for a moment. "Really, there are 2 things. What are the 2 best known qualities of Lily Evans?"

Odd considered everything he knew about the popular red haired beauty. "Well, I'd have to say that it's being muggleborn and hating James until some time last year."

"Lies, all lies. Lily is actually a 4th generation throwback of a squib line going directly back to Godric Gryffindor. And we've been dating since 2nd year. Actually, the summer before 2nd. We met at a muggle movie house."

"I thought the Potter family was descended from Godric." Odd stated. He had not stopped molesting himself since the first grope, enjoying the feel of his hands caressing his breasts.

"We are, but not the direct line. We also have ties to Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw to some degree, but so do a lot of families, many of whom are in more linear descent so we aren't the heirs of any of them. But let's get back on track. Lils does most of the planning, the rest of us are her muscle and public face. She got pissed at Snape when the grease ball finally showed his true colors. Not sure what happened but I heard it involved polyjuice, sheep to human transfiguration and BDSM. Personally, I always thought Lucius was the one with the wool fetish and Snape had a kink for bacon grease."

Sirius snorted. "Don't believe the rumors. Remember the big fuss about the Headmaster's brother being charged for inappropriate actions towards a goat? They got the wrong brother. Old Albie is the one making with the goat lovin'. Abe's more of a horse lover. Both are poufters though."

"How do you know that?" Odd asked.

Sirius grinned and tapped his nose. "Can't fool my senses. Padfoot might look like a Grim, but he's pure wolfhound."

"Enough time wasting, let's get this over with." Remus added. "Me and Sirius have to be at the pub before Snape or we'll be under suspicion."

So agreeing, the five fiendish fellows fled for each's planned position.

Days later, Snape took his first steps as a newly risen Death Eater, glorying in the wake of destruction and death he knew he could never take against the true targets of his rage.

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"So Mr. Caldwell, Remus tells me you wanted to see me?" Harry asked as he studied the old man. Caldwell seemed fit, and his body showed signs of his former musculature that had naturally degraded over the years. The news that this was Remus' father made Harry look for signs of their relationship. But there was little to show physically that the two were related.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, I only wish that it was under better circumstances. May we have a seat? I'm afraid that at my age and with the recent attack on my home, I'm not at my best."

"You were attacked? Do you know who it was?" Harry asked as they took the seats across from the round table.

"Not directly, but I know that it was ordered by Riddle." Caldwell stated.

Harry started. Not many people used that name. "Riddle? Who is he?"

"He's the man who everyone refers to as You-know-Who, because they are too frightful to use the name he gave himself when he began his role as a Dark Lord. But I know that you already know this. What you don't know is that I was in school with old Tommy boy. He was always a bit behind me, and if it wasn't for his boot licking ways, I'd have been head boy our last year of school."

"So aside from telling me that you know the name of the Dark Lord, what do you want?" Harry again asked.

"I want to help you stop him for good. I know things about him and what he's done that I was never able to do anything about because there was no proof and he was too entrenched in his new persona to do anything. But his attack on you where you kicked him out of his body and got that scar has weakened him, though I think he's too damn arrogant to understand exactly how much damage you've done. And you're continued refusal to accept his whim and die is showing every one else just how weak he has become. So he's seeking ways to get his strength back and to do that, he has to erase all remaining traces to his former life."

"Which means what?" Harry asked, not sure where this was leading.

"Why, he's going to go after everyone left who ever knew the name Tom Riddle. Starting with his old classmates. Because we know who and what he is and what he has done, Tell me Harry, have you ever heard of a Horcrux?"

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"Tell me again Lucius. What happened at the airfield?"

Lucius winced as the pain from his wounds flared. He threw a glare at the Amazon woman who was digging in his thigh with her tools. He hated that his wounds could not be healed by magical means. "We arrived at the location and chose a spot that allowed us to see the people coming off the plane as well as those awaiting them. We hid our presence and ignored our disgust at the presence of so many filthy muggles. Potter and his friends never came and the announcement of the beasts machines indicated that the flight our spies indicated carried the Lovegood girl and those foreigners allies was landing. We waited as the beasts exited the machine and entered the station. But despite our efforts, non of those described were among the muggles." Lucius paused as the pain of the wound in his leg was intensified ten fold thanks to the Amazon pouring some concoction over the gaping injury. It was not quite as painful as his Lord's Cruciatus, but it was a much more centralized pain.

"If Potter's allies did not arrive, explain then why you are injured and why 2 of my most loyal are dead." The complete lack of tone was a clear warning that the explanation had better be sufficient for his approval or his pending punishment for his failure might become an execution.

"We waited as several more planes landed and left. We had cast charms on the entrance that would allow us to detect any magical beings and took note of several squibs and mudbloods. After a few hours, we realized that they had either slipped past us or were not arriving at that location. In order to not have wasted all our efforts and to obey your standing orders, I had MacNair, Goyle and Crabbe gather a small group of comely mudbloods for a Dark Revel. But as we were preparing to depart with our new playthings, we were surrounded by a group of muggle Aurors wearing strange eye wear and pointing their odd looking firearms directly at us. We could not understand how they had defeated the repelling charms and notice-me-not charms. Knowing the history of how little effect their pathetic tools had on our superior magical bodies, MacNair drew his ax, intending to start the blood flow. Before he could do more than take another step, one of the Aurors fired and MacNair dropped the ax, clutching at his shoulder."

"Of course, we attacked immediately, but the other Aurors started firing as well. Goyle took a shot to the head and half a dozen in the chest. We tried to raise shields and conjure objects for cover, but the bullets tore through both as though they were not there. Crabbe leapt in front of me, taking several bullets that would have surely taken my life. The injuries I sustained activated my emergency port key. Our allies had left upon the arrival of the Aurors, showing their cowardice. Those few of your faithful to return were unable to bring back our dead comrades or the sacrifices. Somehow, the muggles were able to detect us, but took no action until we prepared to leave. I do not understand how they could detect us."

Voldemort frowned. News that the muggle security at the airport had been able to detect his servants was unsettling. For centuries the magical had survived by avoiding notice by the muggle authorities. Now, it seemed that they had developed some type of means of detecting magical beings despite the heavy magics at their disposal. If they should possess this ability on a mass scale and turn their attention inwards, the magical world could be overwhelmed. He considered this of more importance then the news that apparently muggle firearms had improved beyond the musket or blunderbust of which the magical world was largely immune. Wizarding bodies were hardier and sturdier than muggles, and could take much more significant damage before bowing to defeat. Otherwise they would have died of centuries ago, when considering the types of activities they engaged in for sport, nevermind what they did to each other during their myriad conflicts.

"So you left Crabbe and Goyle behind. As well as their possessions." The voice remained calm and Lucius knew that he was in for some serious pain.

"They were dead, my Lord, and of little use even as they lived. They held nothing of value except their wands. And they did before their own port keys could return them to own enclave. Perhaps if the Amazon and Phoenix had not fled before the battle could even begin, we might have been able to overcome the beasts and their blasted portable cannons." Lucius sneered towards the figure standing behind his master.

Saffron strode forward and struck his face, knocking him off the bed to the floor, screaming in pain. "If your foolish men had not been so idiotic as to try and abduct muggles from an airport filled with security then they would have done nothing! Muggles as you call them have advanced far beyond the pathetic levels you believe them to possess. They have weapons that can destroy entire cities and poison countries for thousands of years. They have created and altered forms of life too small for the eye to see to make them fatal if contacted by your body. What they lack in discipline and magic, they have manufactured through science and technology. Neither muggle nor wizard is truly superior, though wizards have many advantages over muggles. If they progress as they have in the last 100 or so years, then they will soon be able to do things that no wizard could imagine."

"Pathetic lies." Lucius stated, spitting out the blood that pooled in his mouth. "Muggles are nothing more then beasts that have learned a few tricks."

Saffron crossed his arms over his impressive chest. "Then let me as you this, wizard. Have you or any other wizard ever even conceived of actually setting foot on the moon? Because the muggles have done so. Even now they begin work on building a permanent base hanging miles above the Earth. They have even created devices that can do thousands of complex calculations in minutes that would take your arithmeticians weeks of work to accomplish. Muggle, wizard. You are all human."

Voldemort turned and walked from the room, his features set in a scowl that sent his servants scattering. He had much to consider, if what Lucius and Saffron stated were true. If muggles could do what they both claimed, then it might be more complex to take control of the world then he feared.

'Why do all these complications always happen to me? Why don't people just roll over and accept that I am their natural lord.' Such was his sense of self worth, that he could not even consider anything without first reflecting it through his ego.

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an:

so I hop you all enjoyed.


	46. Section 46

HP Chapter 46

here it is another chapter of my long running story combining two of my favorite series. As always I only own my idea of putting these together.

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As nervous as he should be, Harry could not remember ever being this happy. He was seated at the Gryffindor table between the two between the two people he loved and was for once, enjoying the jealous looks he was getting. After the initial reunion/ reintroduction of the real Luna, the trio had disappeared into the RoR for some much needed personal time. The initial plan of Luna hiding in the out to get re-acclimated had been altered once it was explained that she and Tonks held a mental link along with a enchanted diary that allowed them to speed the process of informing Luna of the events that had occurred during her time in South America..

They had spent a few hours getting re-acquainted, sharing stories of their time apart. The link between Luna and Tonks had eased this greatly but the act of speaking of those shared and separate experiences was soothing for all of them. Eventually they slowed down and stopped speaking, just taking some time to hold each other and allow themselves to connect emotionally. Luna and Tonks shared their link, and Harry and Tonks had formed a bond of their own and they had to figure out how the 3 of them would fit together.

The need to eat coinciding with the dinner time brought them out of self imposed exile to join the school in the great hall. Tonks had retained Luna's form and Harry felt a purely masculine sense of pride as people watched his escort his identical beauties to the spaces Hermione had saved for them at the Lion's table. He noted several heads turn to regard the Patil sisters who were seated together at the Ravenclaw table. These twins shared a speculative look before shrugging in an identical manner and turning back to their meal and conversation with Padma's fellow Ravenclaw, Su Li.

Hermione was looking from Luna to Luna as though trying to spot any differences. Ron and Neville were looking at the pair in shock. Ron then frowned and started to look around as if to see if someone was missing.

"Hi Harry, Luna. Who's your friend." Neville had a different approach, deciding to take the task head on.

"What do you mean? This is Luna." Harry stated, nodding to the girl on his left. "And you know Luna." nodding to the one on the right.

Hermione snorted, a most unusual reaction from the normally staid girl. Before she could speak, Ron interrupted.

"Oi. Who'd ya convince to polyjuice into Luna?" Ron asked. He would have continued but Hermione's elbow stopped him.

"That's not polyjuice, That's Tonks." Hermione hissed quietly. Sometimes she wondered why she liked the redhead.

Ron blinked, then blushed as he remembered the metamorphmagi. "Oh yeah. Forgot about that. Sorry Tonks."

The Luna on the left tilted her head. "Don't worry Ronald. We were hopping it would take longer for someone to realize what was happening. In fact we had worked out a whole story of us being twins both named Luna who switched places daily. One would attend classes and the other would do the homework or explore the castle."

Hermione giggled. "Given how . . . easily misled most wizards are, that might have worked for a few weeks. And even then, most would assume it was some kind of polyjuice."

Right side Luna nodded. "Even then, that's what they would think despite never seeing either of us drinking the stuff. People are looking for polyjuice after the fake Professor Moody last year."

A commotion from the entrance drew their attention as well as the attention of most in the great hall.

Led by Ranma and Akane, the rest of the group that had returned the real Luna entered the hall. In spite of the weather, the 2 visitors from South America wore the formal tribal wear and were armed with bows, spears and wicked looking sticks with knobs on the end. The two Japanese were dressed in full traditional outfits although something seemed off about them. Even Ranma and Akane had dressed to match. The couple were wearing matching black silk Kimonos with full regalia. In their hands they carried their staffs and were also armed with katana, wakazashi and tanto in traditional settings.

The group made its way to stand before they head table. They spread out slightly, leaving Ranma and Akane as the head of the formation. They then bowed towards the professors before turning towards the students. A low muttering started among the students that rose in volume as all the sensei stood and joined the contingent standing before them.

The muttering stopped as Ranma and Akane slammed the butts of their staffs into the ground. They repeated the gesture 2 more times. Each strike sent multicolored sparks into the air. There was a pause as Ranma scanned the gathered students.

"Today is a day of great joy." Ranma intoned in the deep rumbling baritone that could be felt as well as heard. "A student thought lost has returned. New friends and allies are working to bring peace to your world." He pointed to the still open doors with the staff. Several large, burly figures entered in pairs. Each pair carried between them an ornately carved chest. They walked forward and laid the chests at the feet of the Angwan representatives.. They then bowed and left, never saying a word or looking anywhere but Ranma and his group. There was silence again until loud steps were heard and 4 of the men returned carrying a 5th chest. They repeated the bow and left.

"Today we celebrate many things. In these boxes, " he touched each with his staff and the lids popped open, revealing the contents. Withing each of the first 4 were 3 colored balls, glowing slightly from within. One set glowed for each of the house colors. "Are something that my people call Pearls of Wisdom. These particular Pearls are special even among the others. You see, these nine Pearls were not created by my people. They were created by people you know. In fact they were created by the very people who built this castle and who's spirits you all embody every day." He paused and allowed the excited murmur to fill the room. "Each of these spheres contains the memories and knowledge held by the Founders of this school. Each contains full details of their lives right up to the last days of their lives, when they chose to send these repositories to a place of safety away from brewing troubles of their homeland."

"Today I return them to their proper home, as in the dark days ahead, we will have need of their wisdom once more." He glared at the Slytherin table as he could see their rising greed in the auras surrounding each of them. "Only those few found worthy may directly draw knowledge from the spheres. Be warned, any without the correct and approved strength of self or those who seek ill fortune will loose themselves in the knowledge contained within. Without proper preparation or intent, touching these spheres could kill you or at the least shatter your mind and drive you mad." He paused to let the words sink in.

"For now, that means I will first instruct the staff in their use, and then they will decide if they will teach you to access the knowledge safely. These spheres belong to the school so it is only right that access is given by those that teach at the school." Ranma stopped again to scan the room. He smirked as he noticed the Ravenclaw's table almost drooling in a fog of lust for the secrets contained within the Pearls. "Now on a lighter note. The Angwan council finally decided on the prizes for the Tournament. Each of the 16 selected will receive 100 galleons. The winners of the 1st round will get an additional 100 galleons. 2nd round winners will receive another 125 galleons, 3rd round receives 175 galleons and an item of their choice from the chest. The winner of the final round will receive the remaining contents of the trunk." He paused again to let the murmuring and excited whispering to build. "Each house will announce their choices for the tournament by the end of next week. Just in time for a little extra money to spend for the holidays."

"Now, let's get back to supper. I expect that we have a busy few weeks ahead of us."

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Saffron frowned as he watched the Full Form burn out for the 3rd time. He couldn't understand how the bird was fighting his control. He was the Phoenix King, He should have total control over the Full Forms. Yet this one insignificant speck refused to share it's knowledge of it's former familiar. Intense pressure was applied and instead of obeying, the bird had burned early. Three times now.

Repeated early burnings were dangerous as even a phoenix had a point where it would be too weak to survive a burning. At that point, they would loose all magic and become just another brightly colored bird. Flamingos, swans, and several types of parrots were the descendants of such birds. It was the Phoenix equivalent of squibs. As far back as Saffron could remember, this had only happened a handful of times.

Saffron wasn't sure if he should feel respect or disgust at the blatant disobedience. As an immortal being and ruler, he was used to getting everything he wanted. This did not mean he had infinite patience, but he was not used to being pressured or rushed. Immortality had made him lazy. After all, he had all the time in the world to get what he wanted, so there was usually no need for him to be hasty.

In fact, he'd done more in the last decade then he had in the last ten centuries. It was invigorating to be active in the greater world again. It had been a long time since he'd had any real challenges. His life had changed irrevocably the moment he'd learned of an outsider boy falling in the pool at the cursed springs. It was no longer satisfying to rule his mountain kingdom. It was time for his people to stop cowering in their mountain. It was time to spread their wings and take their place as rulers over the hairless monkeys.

He would have his revenge for the humiliation heaped on him by Saotome. The world would burn and from the ashes a new world would rise. One that knew it's place as slaves to his people. One where he, Safuron, was the One True God.

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"Get out."

"What? Why?"

"Take **that** and leave."

"What's wrong, we just got here."

"And it was nice to see you, but it's time for you to leave."

"Come on Odd, we're not going anywhere until you tell us why." Remus stated, always the voice of reason. Well, as much as any of the self-titled Marauders could be so considered. It was Remus after all that had convinced the elves in the laundry to slip disillusionment potion into the girls clothing and itching powder into the Slytherin's. That had been a great week.

Odd sighed, knowing he'd made a mistake. He'd committed the worse sin of all: Aroused the curiosity of the Marauders. Glaring he stood. "Come with me."

The foursome (Peter was at home, not fond of the Lovegood home.) "In there." he stated while gesturing at a door.

Hands on their wands, the three men pushed open the door. They moved in cautiously, not sure what to expect. What they saw was even less expected then they would have guessed. Sitting in the middle of a grass covered floor was a small pink house. It was very detailed and the only indication that it wasn't a shrunken home or a child's toy was the large rubber flap instead of a front door and wall.

"Well, either you got a dog, or you have some plans for old Paddy here." James stated with a chuckle.

Sirius shook his head. "Thanks for the gesture Odd my friend, but pink isn't my color. And that classic style is all wrong."

"We don't have a dog and that house isn't for your mangy flea bitten animagus form."

"Then what is it doing here?" Remus asked.

Odd sighed and moved the neck of his sweater aside, revealing a collar and dog tag. "Selene was pissed because of your last prank."

"So was Lils but what's that got to do with the house."

"You've heard, and I'm sure you've experienced, the expression 'In the Doghouse'? Well Selene takes that literally."

The three men exchanged glances with each other and then the little house. Each struggled mightily to contain their mirth as they realized the meaning behind the prematurely balding blond man's statement. Only Remus, with years of controlling strong emotions, was able to speak. "You mean... you mean..."Not that he could speak much, having to use hand gestures to finish his statement.

Odd's glare deepened. "Yes!" he snarled. "Because of you three idiots, I've spent the last 2 weeks sleeping in a dog house."

Peals of laughter filled the air as his statement shattered what little control the 3 had retained.

A loud boom stopped the laughter cold and all four men turned to the entrance to face a pair of angry demons from Hell's depths. Beings so vicious, so devious so evil that even Voldemort thought twice before crossing them. Beings known by many names, but the most feared being simply … Missus.

"Xenophilius Lovegood." Selene growled.

"James Potter!" Lilly Potter intoned.

"What do you think you are doing?" Lilly.

"I thought I told you to stay away from those immature idiots?" Selene. "And you promised not to drink any more muggle alcohol." both cried out in stereo seeing the bottle Sirius had almost half downed upon recognizing his impending doom.

No one sane or insane would want to face their deaths at the hands of an angry, PMSing wife sober. Seeing the twin glares on him, he passed the bottle to Remus, transformed into Padfoot and scurried into the doghouse, deciding he could live with pink, but not being turned into Sirius paste.

Remus fidgeted as he was now the center of attention, mentally cursing his former and soon to be dead friend. Sighing he gathered his courage and held out the bottle towards the women as a peace offering.

"Tequila, Anyone?" he asked innocently.

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AN:

so another chapter down, hope you enjoyed.


	47. Section 47

HP vs Ranma: section 47

finally another chapter,

I've have most of this written up but haven't had a chance to type up my notes.

as always I own only how I put these together, and make no profit from the writing. This is my combination/continuation of the Ranma story and fanfic by don granberry 'comes the cold dragon' joined to the Harry Potter world.

states: 105915 hits and 306 reviews.

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Ranma frowned as he listened to Nabiki. "What do you mean, Kumon is gone? Didn't you send him to scout out the situation in China?"

Nabiki sighed as she again explained. The council sent Ryu to oversee the final stage of the evacuation. The Chinese finally wised up and started sending troops to try and stop them. This was 3 weeks ago. Last week, the hold outs of Phoenix mountain attacked the army. They were helped by large flaming birds. 3 days ago Saffron showed up and decimated the army. 40000 dead in a few hours. The flash was seen as far as Australia and was even visible from orbit. The government claimed they are testing a new radiation clean nuke and are getting ready for launch of old nukes in what they claim is a remote, uninhabited area."

Ranma swore. "Is every one from the Tribes clear?"

"We lost nearly 200 to Saffron's attack and maybe another 50 or so to the PRA and the Phoenix. Reports indicate that before he arrived, the PRA was attacked by a huge flock of odd looking birds that had burning tails and shot balls of fire. The wind from their wing beats was reported as being strong enough to flip over tanks. Most of them were black with red highlights, and their screams seemed to inflict feat and madness. A lot of soldiers started shooting each other before killing themselves. They had no chance."

Ranma collapsed into a chair. "What's the reaction from the rest of the world?"

"Everyone seems to publicly believe the Chinese claims, but they all seem to be quietly preparing for war. The Emperor and the Prime Minister are both pleading for calm but after what Saffron did, the Chinese are looking for any excuse to level the area. The only reason they haven't is because Saffron himself doesn't seem to be there any more. Those black phoenix full forms and some of his troops are there, enough that even Haabu is reluctant to go over there. So we compromised and sent in Kumon. We haven't heard from him since he left the main route headed inland."

"Do you think he was in the blast zone or that something else happened to him?"

There was a pause on the line. "I hate to even think it, but Kiima mentioned that the way he was traveling brought him very close to the kingdom of the 7 Lucky Gods."

Ranma perked up a bit. "Well maybe they could help find him."

"Ranma, Kiima's report fro that area indicate that they started raiding again, enslaving the locals to rebuild the tower your battle destroyed. It also indicates that they harbor a strong dislike of the Tribes and are more likely to side against you then help anyone who knows you. If Kumon ran into them, and made mention that he was working for you, Kiima thinks the best case scenario is imprisonment and enslavement. He might be a match for some of them, but he would not be able to defeat Kirin or the others if they ganged up on him. Even if he used the Saotome techniques, he couldn't beat all of them."

Ranma's hopes fell. Ryu's pride and honor would not allow him to use those techniques without Ranma's direct permission. "How bad is the worst case?"

"A brief period in the breeding den, depending on his fighting, followed by public execution, dismemberment, processing and eventually feeding to the slaves."

Ranma gagged. "I thought they only ate pickled veggies and stuff."

"Oh, they do pickle their victims, but only the so called 'noble' class are vegetarians. Slaves eat whatever they are given. Meat is rare, so they don't care what it is." Nabiki paused. "I know you won't like this Ranma, but you should have wiped them out. Them and Saffron for what they tried to do for Akane. It's not a game now Ranma, and it's time to take off the kiddie gloves."

"I know Nabs, and I do understand. But I can't kill so casually. I'm too powerful to look at life so coldly. It could lead me down a path to become something more terrible then Saffron. You've seen what I can do when I'm just fooling around. Remember the quarry? Imagine me doing what I did there on a large scale in say, downtown Tokyo or Beijing? Or if I let my full power in a Kijin Raiju Dan? At my current levels, my Mouko Takabisha could drill through to the earths core. Saffron and Haabu could do something similar. Akane and Ryoga ain't all that far off. If you or Kasumi had chosen the Art, you'd likely be at this stage as well."

"I'm glad I'm only a mere 3rd Dan then. I wouldn't trust myself with that kind of power. Even with you and Haabu to keep me in line." Nabiki shuddered at the thought of all that power at her control. Well in a real way, she did nave it as Haabu would move the sky if she asked and Ranma would do almost anything she wanted unless it was something Akane told him not to do. Look, I have to go,. The Council has a meeting with the Empress and some other behind the scenes people. I'll call later, hopefully with goods news. Haabu wants to send Kiima and his 2 bookends over there but I'm trying to talk sense into him."

"Good. Don't send anyone inside China. If they've reached the point of using nukes, I don't want to risk them firing at Japan and Angwan. It might start a major war. We're here trying to stop one war, I'd hate to deal with a regular war and a magical war at the same time." A chime sounded and Ranma looked towards the clock. "I've got to go too. I'll call tomorrow. Don't count Kumon out too easily. He's a tough bastard."

Ranma ended the call and gathered his books. 'Damn Saffron! What is that idiot thinking? Is his ego so big he thinks he can fight the whole world? Or is he simply so far stuck in time that he doesn't realize what modern weapons can do?' Putting aside his thoughts, he joined a gaggle of girls as they moved towards the classroom.

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Harry pulled back, panting noisily, desperate to get air into his abused lungs. He gazed adoringly up at the source of his abuse, feeling nothing but pleasure that had only a little to do with oxygen deprivation. He thought he knew what snogging Luna was, but Tonks' Luna was much different then the real Luna. As he had been learning since Luna's return, Tonks' impersonation was incredibly accurate except with a few minor details that were perhaps due more to Luna's experiences during her missing time and her need to level the field in the 3 way relationship they were building.

His gaze fell from her flushed face and glazed eyes, dropping to his hands which were kneading and caressing her exposed breasts. Sometime during their snog, they'd removed each others coverings and they were naked to the waist. The area of skin around the rigid nipple and pinkish aureola was a pale white, which showed a contract to the almost golden hue of the rest of her skin. He found the contract incredibly erotic and an interesting change compared to the pale skin Tonks had worn in Luna's place. He hoped Luna would work to keep the tan, but despite the intimacy of their exploration, he was hesitant to ask her for anything more. As with Tonks (and partly his inexperience and ignorance of his own appeal), he would let Luna set the pace of their relationship.

Luna whimpered as his thumb brushed against and then started tweaking it like the button on a joy stick. In retaliation, she started grinding against he bulging pressure of his groin, drawing groans (Not whimpers, a part of his mind insisted, men don't whimper).

"Damn, I can't wait until it's my turn!" a voice called from the side.

Harry's eyes widened in shock and his face darkened in embarrassment. He'd completely forgotten that Tonks was in the room. He tried to pull away, but Luna anticipated his actions. She grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist, not ready to loose his touch, but wise enough to realize that he wasn't ready for more now that Tonks had made her presence known. Her breast felt cold and she missed the feel of his hands caressing her.

She turned with what to most would seem an exceptionally mild look of annoyance on her face to the source of the interruption. For these two who knew her best, it was a greater sign of her disapproval then a dozen Weasley howlers or Snape's Potter tirades. The currently perky pink haired annoyance wilted at the display, her hair paling to near white, her breasts shrinking and face becoming more angular as she lost her morph.

"You had months alone with our Harry. It's my turn." Luna stated, no sign of her dreamy person in her ragged voice.

Thinking quickly, Tonks leaned forward, morphing back to her normal appearance. "Actually love, I was talking about having my turn with you."

Harry's hands clenched on Luna's waist and he bucked against her as images tore into his mind. His stomach clenched and he felt like his groin exploded in pleasure. He dimly heard Luna gasp and lurch against him, her hands bracing herself on Harry's chest as the surprise stimulation of Harry's thrusting completed the process Tonks had interrupted. Her stomach fluttered in sympathetic timing to the clenching and squeezing of her inner muscles. Liquid heat filled her as slowly collapsed to press full against Harry. As the languid feeling spread from her core to envelop her, she gently pressed and rubbed against Harry, to help ease the after effects of their mutual pleasure. While not having yet reached full intimacy, Luna would from this point on always consider herself and her 2 partners as lovers, and no longer refer to them as boy/girlfriend. What they had shared and what they would be sharing was too intense for such mild and loose definitions of their relationships.

She lazily lifted her head to look at Tonks and was not surprised to see the other woman looking in a similar state to how she felt. Upon Harry's release, a surge of his magic had spread infusing the two with the intensely heated feelings (both emotional and physical) that had brought Luna beyond the point where Tonks' exclamation had stopped her from reaching her own release.

Her eyes focus sharply as she recognized the flushed, vacant look in Tonks' eyes. Some how, Nym had orgasmed in time with her and Harry, even from 5 feet away. "Tonks did you cum too?"

"Oh yeah, best of my life and with no one touching me. Damn Harry, that pulse you let off really does a number on a girl. I wonder if it happens every time you cum."

"Uh, what?" Harry asked, his mind still focused on an image of Tonks and Luna giving each other a sponge bath in a milk and honey filled tub the size of the prefects tub.

The 2 women shared a look, silently promising to never let anyone else know of Harry's surprising gift.

"Harry, when you shot off, a wave of magic spread out, causing both me and Luna to cum as well."

"While I was very excited by what we were doing Harry, when Nym startled us, I cooled off quickly. I was nowhere near as close to creaming as I had been. Yet I came when you did, thanks to the pulse. This is very special Harry, since I could feel how much you loved my. I could feel how much you love Nym. Those feelings as much as you humping against me set me off. Knowing with absolute surety that you do love me, for myself, and not just what you thought because of Nym pretending to be me. This is so rare Harry, that i know that no matter what happens the three of us will always be together. We are a family now, it might not be the type most would consider normal, but the three of us together fit better then any two of us would or that any one of else would ever fit with someone else." She leaned down and kissed Harry, then leaned back and held out her hand, Tonks moved forward, her own hand clasping Luna's. The two woman shared a kiss, and while there was much love, there was little passion.

Still seeing the women he loved kissing was more then enough to revive Harry and the twitching of his groin was immediately noticeable to Luna. She pulled away from Tonks with a giggle, rubbing herself against Harry's groin. "Well Nym, Harry certainly approves of our relationship"

Tonks grinned evilly, "Move off you tramp, you had your ride, it's my turn. But first lets get those jeans off, I want to see what kind of mess Harry left."

Harry gulped as both girls turned to face him with matching looks on his face. 4 hands reached down to his belt and Harry praised whatever Gods existed for his amazing life. Soon he was too busy to think as the three proceeded to explore each other though they unspokenly agreed to hold back from crossing the final barriers just yet. Even without crossing the barrier, they went to sleep fully satisfied and secure in the knowledge of their shared love.

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Odd Lovegood shot awake in his bed, beads of sweat running down his face. His fingers itched for his wand and he shuddered with rage and fear. He'd had the most awful nightmare. The details were hazy, but he was suddenly extremely worried about his precious Luna. She was all that he had left of his beloved Selene, and he suddenly wanted to pull her out of school and lock her in their home. He had an urge to find and attack Harry Potter and for some reason felt just as much anger towards Nymphodora Tonks. Harry he could understand, since the boy was obviously a hormone driven devil who was paying unnatural attention to his innocent daughter, but he couldn't understand was that he felt the same level of threat and protective urge to keep Luna away from the auror who had been her only friend.

Deciding that sleep would be impossible, he slid out of bed, pulling on a robe and made his way to his office. He had a few stories to work through and maybe then the sense of danger he felt his daughter was under would pass.

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	48. Section 48

finally I'm back. another chap of my long standing and longer dry period of updates. Thanks to everyone for continuing and enjoying my work.

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Harry was happier then he could ever remember. His life was going well. He had 2 wonderful, amazing

girlfriends, a group of friends that were more family then his relatives could ever be. Even the newest group, their friends and teachers from the far east were as close to him as anyone.

The only downside was the growing news and threats that were spreading around the British isles. Voldemort and his new allies had started a series of rapid strike attacks aimed at seeding fear and horror among the muggles and wizarding worlds alike. Not even Fudge could deny Voldemort's return when the Dark Lord himself interrupted a WWN broadcast with news of his return, followed by the screams of a muggle family as he and his Death Eaters tortured them to death live over the broadcast. The fact that the family happened to be that of Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Hufflepuff born to a muggle noble family, made things worse as their mangled and defaced bodies were left scattered throughout their home and grounds for the muggle media to discover.

The young man had been withdrawn from Hogwarts by his new guardian. As the last of his direct line, he had to take possession of his seat in the House of Lords and begin the task of overseeing his family's vast estate. He forswore his magic, willingly breaking his own wand. However he was allowed to keep his knowledge of the magical world in an effort to allow him to make arrangements to protect himself and to act as an indirect interface between the muggle and magical worlds. His Hufflepuff housemates were devestated by what they felt was a dual loss- Justin himself gone from their mists and the lack of opportunity to aid him through the trying time.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he instead chose to focus on his current task. He was attempting to break his personal best time for a lap around the outer courtyard. Ranma and Akane had estimated that this was a distance equal to about 1.3 kilometers. It was harder right now due to the cold and sloppy sluch on the ground, but this itself was also a benefit, making him work harder and different muscle groups then a smooth surfaced ground would work. The castle itself and the inner courtyard were protected from the worst of the weather by a series of weather charms, although even there it was still allowed to have some of winter's touch.

He looked over into the inner court and smiled as he saw Hermione and Ron cuddled up under a thick blanket with a small fire burning at their feet. He had been worried for his friends, especially after Hermione had explained to them the consequences of her injuries. He had been anticipating Ron being his normal inconsiderate self and having to beat the snot out of him, and since he was not having any luck with the martial arts training where as Ron was doing well, he hadn't been looking forward to having his arse kicked. However for his piece of mind and the sake of Ron's fists, Ron had shown a far more mature and respectful response, acknowledging what Hermione had lost and the loss of his own hopes for the future. He brushed aside Hermione's concerns for his future by saying that there were more then enough Weasley's to continue the family line and he had never really been that excited or interested in a large family himself anyway. And besides, he'd stated with a weak grin, as awful as the thought was, there was still a likely hood that there would be many unfortunately orphaned children in the coming years, and if they reached a point fhwere they felt like raising a family, they could always take in a few of them.

This had earned him stunned silence followed by a life threatening snog from the bushy haired girl. Hermione's wounds were nearly as healed as they could be by this point, and it was unlikely that there would be much further improvement. At least now, they no longer leaked any fluids, blood or pus or otherwise. The purple scars would never fade or shrink but it had also stopped growing. Her breasts were still sore as was the rest of the wound tract, but it was controllable even without the medication and salve given to her by Madam Pomphrey. She had found by carefully testing her body that she could feel some limited pleasure and not the pain she had feared.

It wasn't as powerful as the sensations had been before the injuries, but at least it had re-awoken some hope that she could have a good life, hopefully with Ron. She had always looked forward to that aspect of her future life, since she was nine and found that touching herself in certain ways was quite enjoyable. Her mother had found her one day and taken her aside to explain what was happening to her body and provided her with material to learn on her own. Her knowledge had grown in her years sharing a dorm with Lavender and Parvati. She was beginning to contemplate exploring those tidbits of knowledge with Ron sooner then she had originally anticipated, especially after seeing what similar exploration had done to Harry's demeanor and the rather happy and satisfied expressions on Luna and Tonk's faces.

Unware of the lurid thoughts going through Hermione's head, Harry continued his run, his own mind turning once again back to the previous night and the little exhibition put on by his girlfriends. This made it more difficult to run considering the effect on his anatomy, but he barely noticed.

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Kiima sighed as she again read the report that had been given to her from the leader of the recovery crew. The situation with the newly risen islands and the scores of recovered vessels had exploded into the world media. Nations were beginning to cry foul and demand the return of their cultural heirlooms, trying to overturn decades of accepted and agreed upon international salvage laws. As the commander of the Angwan defense forces, it was her responsibility to provide protection for the recovery sites. She had nearly a dozen Musk warriors, a full platoon of Jokoketsu warriors, and a contingent of forces from the JDF loaned to them on orders directly from the Emperor.

It was a significant force against any ground based attack, but it lacked in aerial and naval support. They had only 2 aircraft carriers and their own flight crews. If any serious attempts by more powerful nations to 'recover' the rather immense amount of wealth that was sitting on the new plots of land were made, then there was little they could really do to stop them. Any one of their warriors was equal to any number of individuals, but in terms of technological and weaponry, they were wholly lacking and reliant on the JDF.

"Lady Kiima?" a voice interrupted her as she reviewed the reports from the salvage crews. Kiima raised her head to look at the Amazon male kneeling just inside her door.

"What is it Jo Gurt? she asked, recognizing the muscular young male.

"Princess Nabiki has requested that we remind you of her request for you to join the 1st family for their evening meal. Lord Ranma is supposed to make a call tonight with a progress report from his current mission." The man paused and dared to look up. "He will also be requesting news regarding Ryu Kumon."

Kiima tossed the report in her hands ot the side and leaned back, bringing her hand up to rub her temples. This was another situation that she was forced by circumstances to face. It had been her and her peoples reports that had lead to Kumon's mission being approved and her people who had supplied the maps and network contacts needed to sneak the Korean into the People's Republic. She had compiled the reports into their final forms herself as well as created the mission profile. She had intended to have one for her own soldiers go on the mission, but it was deemed that due to the danger and nature of the final stage required someone of superior ability. Kumon had immediately volunteered, and been approved by Lady Nodaka. As one of the few to have battled and defeated Lord Ranma, he was deemed the perfect person to make the attempt. The mission to find and open communication with the Seven Lucky Gods was crucial. They were in a position that could of benefit to Angwan inside the borders of the PRA. Or considering the recent evacuation of the Musk, Amazon and Phoenix lands they themselves might be in danger from the PRA's attempts to obliterate any internal opposition to the PRA's agendas.

_Damn. What the hell happened to you, Kumon?_

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Saffron smiled cruelly as he sent a wave of fire towards the whimpering figures kneeling before him. His association with the Dark Lord of Britain was finally beginning to bare fruit. The reigns had been lifted and they were now free to attack the filth of this land at will. At his shoulder was the dark phoenix once known as Fawkes. The bird was singing and it's discordant song sent fear and horror into the hearts of the captured muggles. In various parts of the stadium, his Phoenix and Amazon warriors were enjoying themselves torturing and killing the members of both the football teams that had been engaged in a spirited Premiership match. The spectators had been given over to the groups of Death Eaters for their own entertainment.

This was the largest attack they had made since they joined forces and it was by for the most successful. Not far from Saffron sat Voldemort on a throne made of the bones of his deceased muggle relatives. He drank the blood of his victims from a chalice made of his father's skull, and a pile of meat and veggies were arranged on plates make of his shoulder blades. At Voldemort's feet lay the crumpled form of Pettigrew, the cause of one of the few failures during this attack. Kneeling next to his throne was the dark haired and darker souled form of Bellatrix Lestrange, recently widowed once word reached Voldemort that the family vaults in Gringott's were closed. Bellatrix had suffered as well for this loss. Though she lived, her mind was destroyed and now there was nothing there but a ravening beast with no thoughts other then to please her master in whatever he wished.

"I am most pleased with tonight's efforts, Lord Saffron." Voldemort stated as he overlooked the scenes of torture, both magical and mundane.

"As am I, Lord Voldemort. Our forces worked well together. Perhaps there is some hope for a mass conquest beyond just this Isle."

"Oh yes, if this continues, then we will indeed need to expand our plans. Once we have destroyed the foolish muggle loving fools and these warriors that have betrayed you people. Once that is done, you will share with me your secret to immortality and I , I will share with you the means to increase your powers a hundred fold."

Each had their minds focused on their own goals as they shared a chortle. Each of their own goals of course included the betrayal and torturous death of the other and all their followers.

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A cracking sounder as a glass was shattered against the wall of the office deep inside the bowels of Buckingham Palace. Words of anger and fear burst from the normally dignified figure seated behind the opulent desk. The others in the room winced and frowned as they felt the pain and anger of recent events being expressed by their sovereign. Few outside this room would have believed what they were witnessing as the beloved monarch expressed her emotions so openly in regards to the terrorist attack that had lead to the death of more then 10000 of her people.

"This is beyond all acceptability, Mr Shift. Something must be done. We can not allow this to spread any further. What can we do to stop these madmen?" the reigning Monarch demanded as she stood, power radiating from her aged form.

Mr Shift, the false name worn by the head of the Department of Mysteries hesitated only slightly before replying. "My Queen, there is little that can be done directly against Voldemort. He is too powerful and has gathered the most powerful of the bigoted purebloods to his cause. His new allies are unknown to us and use a form of skills we have no defense against. Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore have gathered some allies to aid us against them, but we have no information about the locations of their bases. All we can do is place the Isle under a state of emergency. We must not allow the truth to be known to the world at large. The Statue of Secrecy-"

"SILENCE!" roared the Queen, raising to her feet and now projecting an aura of menace to the dark clothed figure. "10000 dead caused by this madmen and his followers and you DARE speak to me about your fears of exposure? Long has the Royal Family allowed you to govern your people in your own manner. Long have we allowed you to break our laws to hide your existence. But this is too much. Do not forget, Mr. Shift, That I AM YOUR QUEEN! By Blood of my Ancestors and by Right of Rule granted therein by the land of our people, I will have you vows or I will have your head." The Queen paused and the room filled with the weight of thousands of generations of magic that soaked the isles. Magic was sanctifying the Rule of Elizabeth over her land and as such, this granted her certain powers of her own. She was not and would never be a witch, but was now in control of the magical defenses build into the land over thousands of generations. She controlled the wards for all public offices including the Ministry of Magic, Hogwarts, the various hidden communities and villages that were withing British Empire.

Mr Shift frowned as he felt the weight press against him, forcing his own magic to acknowledge his loyalty to the Queen. The other magic users also felt the weight and as with him, were forced to kneel before their Queen. "What are your orders, your Majesty?"

"You will contact this Harry Porter and Dumbledore and tell them that I command their presence. Tell them to bring their allies. In the mean time, we will need to prepare several statements for the media." She turned to the silent figure quietly typing at a steno machine. "Prepare a report detailing the existence of the magical world, their general abilities and locations of their main public areas. Prepare another message to the people detailing my sorrow over the recent terrorist attack. Prepare as well a message that we will be entering a state of emergency within our lands and will be issuing shoot on sight orders for any of the terrorists. This is a war of ideology and survival. Once complete, release the report regarding the state of emergency and contact the media with the message of condolence."

One of the others in the room coughed politely to draw her attention. The Queen turned to the figure that was standing silently by her desk. "Did you have a question Ambassador?"

"Yes, your Majesty. In regards to the allies you were discussing, they are from a land known as Angwan. Their ruling body has already placed several requests for an audience. They have requested an Ambassadorial appointment be allowed official contact with the government and with your Majesty. They have been officially recognized as a sovereign nation by the Emperor of Japan and his government."

The Queen took a moment to consider, as he pulled up the information she had in her mind. "Have they announced a specific ambassador?"

The man lifted a folder from his open attache case, and read quickly. "They are suggesting one of their ruling council, a leader of the Chinese Amazon contingent by the name of Khu Lon. Apparently she is one of their elected Emperor's main teachers."

Something rose in her mind. "Ah, that is where I recognize them. They are the new islands that were raised from the sea. Supposedly an Elected Monarchy. It will be interesting to see how they manage." She paused and considered some more options. "Grant their request. We will issue a statement acknowledging them as both a sovereign nation and equals."

"It will be done, your Majesty." the Ambassador agreed, making a note on his forms.

The queen returned to her seat, the aura of power around her lessening but not leaving her once again. "Now all of you leave, we require solitude."

They all bowed silently before filing out of the room, none daring to comment as the sounds of sobbing followed them out.

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